The Other Side
by surrendersomething
Summary: What if the events of The Good Wife happened 9 years earlier than they did? Chicago's youngest State's Attorney, Peter Florrick finds himself in prison after his sex scandal breaks, while Alicia finds herself starting over at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner along being a good mother to Grace & Zach, who are just four & five. Support comes from the unlikeliest of corners. Alicia/Will AU
1. Chapter 1

**The Other Side**

**Summary: **What if the events of The Good Wife happened nine years earlier than they did? Chicago's youngest State's Attorney, Peter Florrick, finds himself in prison after his sex scandal breaks, while Alicia finds herself starting over at Stern, Lockhart and Gardner along being a good mother to Grace and Zach, who are just four and five. Support comes from the unlikeliest of corners. Alicia/Will, AU.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I will be bringing in dialogue and cases from the show, and guess what? I don't own those either! Title and Lyrics are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **So, this just wouldn't leave me alone. I started wondering what it would be like if Zach and Grace were much, much younger. And this is the response. I've got about ten chapters planned and a good chunk written, so I'd really love to know what you think – it's a little different, but I really hope you'll like it. We're starting right around the beginning of season one, when Alicia's been at the firm for just a short while.

**Chapter One**

* * *

_In the beginning, I never thought it would be you…_

* * *

"Momma!"

Alicia is stepping out of the conference room, engaged in a conversation with Diane about their latest case, when a happy little voice sounds from their right, accompanied seconds later by a warm, familiar weight slamming into her legs. Wearing four inch heels, she has to shoot an arm out against the wall to catch her balance before she can lean down and pick up her daughter.

"Momma," Grace repeats happily, throwing her arms around Alicia's neck. She hasn't heard such enthusiasm from her daughter in _months_.

"Hi, baby, listen to those words," she murmurs distractedly, turning to Diane. "Diane I'm so sorry, I have no idea…" she trails off, only able to watch as her nanny rounds the corner with a hand resting on Zach's shoulder.

"Mrs Florrick, I'm so sorry," Samantha rushes to explain. "I couldn't get hold of Jackie, or your brother and your neighbours weren't in, I tried everything I could, but I can't… I need to go, I'm so sorry, I got a call from the hospital and my dad-"

"Samantha, go," Alicia cuts in quickly, shifting Grace in her arms to squeeze the younger woman's arm gently. "I understand. Give me a call when you get a chance, let me know how your dad is."

"Thank you Mrs Florrick, thank you…" Samantha's running back towards the elevator before she can finish her own sentence, leaving Alicia surrounded by her children and gaining the attention of the majority of people on the floor. She feels Zach's fingers sliding into hers as she turns back to Diane, all of that five going on thirteen bravado leaving him as he stares up at the room full of lawyers.

"Take care of your children, Alicia," Diane says on a sigh. "We won't get to a judge before morning on this anyway." There's something soft in her eyes in the moment before she turns to stride down the hall that tells Alicia not to argue on this one.

"Mom, why is everyone staring?" Zach asks quietly, tugging on her fingers gently as she stays frozen to the spot. "Is it because of dad?" Her heart breaks at the earnest look on her son's face, wise beyond his years. And she doesn't have a clue what to say.

Because at the moment, it's _always_ about dad.

"Alicia." Her head snaps up at the voice she doesn't think she ever forgot, particularly when it's soft and concerned and levelled just for her. She doesn't think she's ever been happier to see Will, standing in the doorway to his office and gesturing for them to come inside. Nudging Zach forward with a hand at the back of his neck, she crosses the hall to the partners' offices, guiding her children into the relative sanctuary of his office.

They've had enough media attention for a lifetime, they don't need to be the entertainment of the day at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner too.

Will's hand curls at her elbow for little more than a second as he closes the door, and she watches dumbly as he turns to close some blinds, affording them what little privacy he can.

"Hi," he says softly, and she's about to respond when she realises that this time, the softness in his voice isn't intended for her. "You must be Grace," he continues, and she can't help her smile when Grace hides her face in her neck.

"She's a little shy," she murmurs softly, shifting Grace on her hip a little. "Guys, this is Will," she says softly. "We work together." It's the simplest description. It really is. Her kids don't need to know the feelings that he stirs up in her every time she so much as sees him. "Will, this is Zach," she introduces, smiling a little when Zach gives him a shy wave, prompted by Alicia's gentle squeeze of the back of his neck. "And you're right, this is Grace. Can you say hi to Will for me, honey?" she murmurs, sweeping the wild curly hair off Grace's face to get a look in her daughter's eyes.

"Hi," Grace whispers. Her voice has none of the delighted spark Alicia heard in the corridor minutes earlier, but her daughter has been almost painfully shy and _never_ says hi to strangers these days, no matter who prompts her.

"Thank you baby," she murmurs softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "that was so good." She gets a brilliant smile from her daughter in response, and she can't help the grin that crosses her own face as she looks up to find Will watching them with warmth in his eyes. "You should be honoured," she tells him softly, "Grace doesn't say hi to just anyone."

Ironic, that her daughter should have the same reaction to the man that she does.

"I'll remember that," he murmurs softly. "Go have a seat," he adds, nodding his head towards the leather couch. Alicia sits gratefully, settling Grace in her lap and undoing the zipper on her thick winter coat, letting her daughter wriggle out of it until she's looking pretty in the pink sweater she helped Alicia pick out that morning. She nods when Zach reaches for the buttons on his own coat, smiling as he tugs it off at light speed. It's a new skill. Grace lets out a heavy sigh as she settles against Alicia, and she tangles her fingers absently in her little girl's hair as she watches Will reach for something on his desk.

"Hey Zach," he's saying softly, leaning against the back of his chair. "You like baseball?"

"Yeah!" Zach exclaims, his face lighting up as Will tosses him a ball.

"Careful of all the glass, Zach," she murmurs automatically, watching him toss the ball in the air a few times with a grin. His answer is little more than a monotone, causing Will to stifle a laugh, at her son or her parenting, she's not sure. "We'll get out of your hair in a second," she tells him softly, closing her eyes for a moment to try and pull herself together.

"Take your time." His voice is closer when he responds, and she opens her eyes to watch him sink into the leather chair opposite her. "In fact, help me finish that brief," he continues, nodding towards the conference room, "and then you can take them home."

"Thank you, Will," she says softly, stroking her fingers soothingly through Grace's hair as she feels her little body start to go slack with sleep. Glancing at the clock, she realises it's already way past her naptime. "She'll be out for the count in a few," she murmurs, pressing her lips against her hair gently. "Zach, come sit down for a moment," she calls softly, watching him clamber up onto the couch next to her, baseball clutched in both hands. "Have you got a book to read in that bag, buddy?"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, both children are out for the count. Grace is huddled in a ball at one end of the couch, her hair a mass of curls that almost obscures her face. Zach is sprawled across the rest of the couch, limbs flung every which way. His book lays open over his chest, and as Alicia glances over at them from her seat at Will's desk, she can't help a smile.

She's not sure she's ever seen them embody their different personalities quite like that before.

"How old are they now?" Will asks quietly from the seat next to her, and she turns back to him with a flush on her cheeks.

"Zach's five, and Grace just turned four," she murmurs softly.

"They seem like pretty great kids, Alicia," he tells her, and her skin tingles as he rests a hesitant hand on her arm. "You've done an amazing job."

"It's… the last seven months," she sighs, and the words are out before she can even consider whether or not to say them. "It's not been easy on them. Grace doesn't understand why daddy's not around anymore, and Zach… he's wise beyond his years."

"Gets that from his mom, obviously," Will murmurs, a slightly crooked smile on his face that brings her right back to the present.

"God, I'm sorry," she murmurs, "you don't want to hear all of this."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know," he assures her softly, leaning back in his chair as his eyes stray over to the children. "It's actually… kind of nice, having a bit of life to the place," he adds with a wry grin. "Things get a little too serious around here sometimes."

"They're the best cure for a bad day," she murmurs softly, turning around when she hears Zach's book fall to the floor with a dull thud. He struggles up to a seated position, rubbing his eyes as he blinks rapidly. "Course, sometimes they drive you mad, too," she murmurs under her breath, giving Will a quick grin before turning back to her son, who's watching her expectantly. "Come on, buddy," she murmurs, holding a hand out to him.

She doesn't realise Will's hand is still on her arm until she's reaching for Zach and lifting the sleepy boy up to her lap as his fingers fall away.

"I fell asleep, mom," he tells her quietly, little legs kicking away even as he settles against her.

"You did," she murmurs, smoothing a hand through his sleep rumpled hair. "Naps really don't agree with you my man, do they?" Zach shakes his head emphatically, rubbing his eyes again. She smiles, stroking her thumb gently behind his ear, reaching with her other hand for the brief sitting on the edge of Will's desk. She's halfway done proofing their next argument, when Zach speaks up.

"You work with my mom?" he asks quietly, and she gives Will a quick shake of her head to say that he doesn't have to answer. They've already imposed on his office, that's enough.

"That's right, Zach." He answers anyway, and she's struck all of a sudden by the fact that Will doesn't talk to her children _like_ they're children. Living such a public life, it's more than a little refreshing, and she almost feels Zach respond to it even as she does.

"Are you a lawyer too?" he asks, his eyes eager as he wriggles in her lap.

"I am," Will answers, giving Alicia what she can only describe as a wicked grin, which shoots straight through her body in ways she does _not_ want to admit to. Particularly not when her son is sitting in her lap, giving the man in question his rapt attention. "In fact, you want to know something cool?" Zach sits up a little straighter in her lap, nodding eagerly. "Your mom and I used to go to school together," Will reveals, settling back in his chair with a grin.

"You used to go to _school_, mom?" Zach asks, twisting to look at her with an incredulous look in his wide, dark eyes.

"I did, buddy," she murmurs with a laugh, looking up to find Will laughing along with her.

"How do you think your mom got so smart?" he asks Zach, and she can only watch as Zach actually considers the question.

"My mom is really smart," he tells Will proudly, little chest puffing out as much as it can. "She's smarter than all the other mom's," he adds, and Alicia feels her heart melt just a little. She really does have the best kids. "Momma, if I keep going to school will I get as smart as you?" he asks earnestly, twisting back around to look up at her. She can't help planting a kiss on his cheek, even as he wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"If you keep going to school you'll get even smarter than me," she murmurs, laughing as he throws his arms around her neck. "Careful, buddy," she murmurs, laughing as she settles him back down.

"I let Grace play with me at recess," he tells her earnestly, switching subjects like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't like the mean little girls in her class, so I told her she could come play with me any time, even though it's totally not cool to play with the little kids, mom." Alicia has to close her eyes at that, squeezing Zach to her as tight as she can. Because Zach took to their new school like a fish to water, but her beautiful little girl is so guarded, she struggles to make new friends, and Alicia's been worried about it ever since the first morning she dropped her off. "Mom!" Zach gasps, pretending to choke, "you're crushing me!"

"Sorry," she murmurs softly, easing her grip on him and opening her eyes, only to find Will's concerned gaze on her. Shaking her head a little, she rests her chin against Zach's head, nodding reluctantly when Will mouths _later_ to her.

It's not something she really wants to share with anyone, but she knows Will, and she knows that when it comes to her, he won't just let it go.

He's never been able to.

* * *

Zach climbs back onto the couch with his book soon after that, and she and Will have almost finished the changes to the brief when a whimpered "Momma," from the corner of the couch catches her attention. Before she can move, Will covers her hand with his.

Her skin doesn't tingle.

It doesn't.

"Take them home," he murmurs softly, "I got this." She can only nod her gratitude, watching his thumb as it strokes against hers before moving to take the brief from her other hand.

"I'll take the rest of the prep home, work through it once they're in bed," she promises, leaning over to gather up the rest of her work. "Will… thank you," she murmurs softly, at a loss for anything else to say.

"No need to thank me," he whispers back, grinning softly. "I actually kind of enjoyed it, your kids are charming."

"That they are," she grins back, walking over to scoop Grace into her arms. "How was your nap, sweetheart?" she murmurs softly, giving her a big squeeze as sleepy eyes blink up at her. "Zach, get your coat on buddy," she adds, brushing the hair off Grace's face.

"Good, momma," Grace answers softly, stretching her little arms above her head. "Can we have pizza for dinner?"

"Yay, pizza!" Zach yells, jumping excitedly as he tries to button his coat.

"I guess we're having pizza for dinner," Alicia murmurs to Will, finding herself laughing as both kids chorus their happiness. "Quiet down guys, people are working," she murmurs, dropping Grace back down on the couch with a bounce to wrestle her back into her coat. Leaning forward to kiss her daughter's cheek, she whispers in her ear. "Can you say thank you to Will for me, baby?" Grace nods seriously, her arms winding tight around Alicia's neck as she lifts her up. "Zach, give Will his baseball back now," she murmurs, hooking a finger in his backpack to halt his progress the door.

"He can keep it," Will murmurs, shooting her a grin. "I've got plenty."

"Really, mom?" Zach exclaims, eyes full of hope as he looks up at her. Alicia nods eventually, smiling at Will. "Cool, thanks Will!" Zach adds happily, bouncing on his heels as Alicia presses a hand against his head.

"Inside voices please," she murmurs, guiding them towards the door. It's only when they're about to cross the threshold, that Grace speaks up.

"Thank you, Will."

Her voice is barely a whisper again, but the look on his face as they leave is more than worth it.

* * *

"Heard you brought your kids to work yesterday," Kalinda offers from Alicia's office doorway the next day, a smirk firmly in place on her face.

"Something like that," Alicia answers, not even looking up from the documents she's reviewing.

"Heard they made quite an impression on Will," Kalinda continues, tapping her pen against her notebook. Finally, Alicia lifts her head from the paperwork on her desk.

"You hear a lot of things, don't you?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. Kalinda just smiles.

"I do."

_tbc._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Other Side**

**Summary: **What if the events of The Good Wife happened nine years earlier than they did? Chicago's youngest State's Attorney, Peter Florrick, finds himself in prison after his sex scandal breaks, while Alicia finds herself starting over at Stern, Lockhart and Gardner along being a good mother to Grace and Zach, who are just four and five. Support comes from the unlikeliest of corners. Alicia/Will, AU.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I will be bringing in dialogue and cases from the show, and guess what? I don't own those either! Title and lyrics are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for your lovely reviews for the first chapter, especially to those I couldn't reply to! I'm really enjoying writing this little AU journey for Will and the Florrick family so it's really good to hear you're enjoying reading! To everyone who's read, followed and favourited, thank you as well and I'd love to hear what you think!

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Mom, she got tomato sauce all over me! _Mom_!"

"I heard you the first time, Zach," Alicia soothes, walking through from her bedroom dressed casually in jeans and a sweater. "Why don't you go change your shirt, buddy, and tell your Uncle Owen on the way that supervising doesn't mean drinking wine in front of the TV," she advises, deliberately pitching her voice loud enough to carry into the living room as she wipes sauce off Zach's cheek with her thumb, before sucking it clean. "Mm, tasty," she grins, laughing as he wrinkles his nose in disgust before darting off towards his room.

"Well look at you, trouble," she murmurs then, turning her attention to Grace and planting a kiss on top of her hair. "Did you forget that the toppings are supposed to go _on_ the pizza?" she teases, not expecting a response. Grace just looks up at her with a smile that would be serene, were it not for the cheeky little glint in her eyes.

She doesn't need more than a word.

"Oops."

"Oops is an understatement," Alicia responds easily, looking up as her brother ambles into the kitchen with that understatement. "I dread to think what happened while I was at work today."

"Alicia, Alicia, you worry too much," Owen grins, resting his elbows on the counter next to Grace. "Let's finish the pizza for mommy, Gracey," he murmurs, bumping her little shoulder and getting a giggle out of her. "She gets all growly when she's hungry, you know," he tells her daughter, as the doorbell buzzes. Alicia chucks a towel at him as she heads out to the hall, catching Zach by the back of his clean shirt as he skids through on his socks.

"Slow it down, speedy," she murmurs, releasing him as she through to open the door.

To someone she most definitely wasn't expecting.

"Sounds like chaos in here," Will murmurs from the doorstep, his lips curled into a full-on smile that's almost dazzling. He's waving a stack of client files in one hand, and it distracts her from the fact that he's reaching towards her with his left hand. "You've got a little… sauce," he murmurs, seconds before his fingers wipe a smudge from her jaw.

She sucks a breath in at the touch of his fingers, and their eyes lock for a long second as he drops his hand back down to his side.

It's been a little over two weeks since that afternoon in his office, and every time he's pressed his fingers into the small of her back to guide her into a courtroom, every time his fingers have brushed hers as he hands over a file, she's felt those familiar tingles.

He doesn't look away until she feels two little hands on her leg and Grace peeks shyly around her knee, tomato sauce smeared all over her face and even in her hair, along with what looks suspiciously to Alicia like cheese. Will laughs heartily at that, and his eyes soften completely as he glances back at Alicia.

"Looks like you're having fun in there," he murmurs, raising an eyebrow. "If I had any doubts she was your daughter, they're well and truly assuaged," he adds, before turning the full force of his grin on Grace. "Hi again, Grace. Are you helping mommy cook?"

Alicia feels like her heart might stop when Grace nods, still hanging onto her knee. "We're makin' pizza," she tells Will quietly, her voice soft and hesitant but so very certain. Alicia can't help herself from reaching down to lift Grace up, tomato sauce be damned.

Because somehow, Will has charmed words out of her daughter before he even steps through the door.

The second time he's met her.

"Pizza, huh?" he murmurs with a grin.

"Friday night is make your own pizza night in the Florrick house," Alicia explains, unable to stop herself from smiling at him. "It's very exciting."

"So I see," he murmurs. "Well I just stopped by to give you these files for Monday, so I'll get out of your hair and let you get back to your pizza," he offers warmly. It's on the tip of her tongue to ask him to stay. It really is.

And then, with nothing less than a miracle, Grace takes the decision out of her hands.

"Stay for pizza," she declares, her little voice decisive and without a hint of question, making both adults laugh. There's a hint of a question in Will's eyes, and it only takes her a second to nod her agreement with her daughter.

"I'd love to stay for pizza," he tells Grace, his eyes sparkling. "Especially if it's pizza made by you." She _swears_ she sees a blush cross her daughter's cheeks, and she lets her wriggle back down to the ground, watching for a second as she flies back towards the kitchen.

"Quit flirting with my daughter," she murmurs, laughing softly at the look on his face as she closes the door behind him. "Charmer," she adds under her breath, smiling when he chuckles right back.

It's only as he shrugs out of his leather jacket that she really gets a chance to take him in, dressed down in jeans and a deep blue sweater. She hasn't seen him without a suit since she started at the firm, and she can't help but notice the way the sleeves of his sweater are rolled up to the elbows, showcasing his strong arms, the muscles in his biceps a little more refined than they were at Georgetown.

He looks softer somehow, even with that strength. She doesn't want to admit how much she likes it.

"She's going to be a little heartbreaker when she grows up," Will murmurs, snapping her out of her trance as she shoots him a wry smile.

"Tell me about it," she agrees, taking the files he carries and setting them on the side. "I've never seen her take to someone quite that quickly though," she murmurs, gesturing through to the kitchen. "Owen's here, by the way."

"Thanks for the warning," he responds instantly, quirking a grin in her direction.

* * *

A few hours later, after too much pizza is consumed, after the children are tucked safely into their beds, after the second bottle of wine has been opened and, much to his dismay, Owen has been dispatched to his own apartment, the case files still lie unopened on the coffee table and Alicia is thumbing off the late night talk show which boasts yet another exposé on Peter Florrick's hookers as it's headline.

Time doesn't make it any easier.

"How Chicago's youngest State's Attorney falls from grace, huh?" she murmurs a little bitterly when she feels his eyes on her. Will's hand is a gentle pressure on her arm as she bows her head, eyes closed. His presence is more comforting than she feels able to admit to herself when she still feels so broken.

"I can't even imagine what all this is like for you," he murmurs softly, when she tips her head back against the couch. Her eyes are dry, but glassy as she finally meets his gaze, and she knows he can see the pain there.

"I hate him more for what he's done to the children than what he's done to me," she whispers softly, shaking her head slightly. "I don't… it almost doesn't hurt me, even though it should. I just feel numb about it. But the kids…" she hasn't talked about this with anyone but Owen, her apathy for what he's done to her compared to the way he's torn her children's lives apart.

"That's understandable," Will tells her softly. "Do they see Peter much?"

"No," she answers forcefully, closing her eyes for a moment. "I won't take my four and five-year-old children to a prison. I won't expose them to that." The arguments she had with Peter when she told him of her decision still haunt her. They said more hateful things during those arguments than they have during any of their arguments about the scandal itself. "Maybe it would be different if they were teenagers, but they're _children_."

She expects judgement in his eyes, but when she manages to look up, she sees nothing but compassion.

"A prison is no place for children their age," he murmurs softly, his thumb tracing gentle circles against the sensitive skin of her forearm that somehow give her the strength to tell him one of her greatest fears.

"I'm terrified every time I leave them with Jackie," she whispers. "She's almost as angry as Peter that I won't let them see him. I have nightmares about her taking them to see him without my permission, but I can't… I don't have a choice. I can't work without Jackie's help, and I need to work…" Sucking in an unsteady breath, she closes her eyes for a moment. "God, I'm sorry Will. You don't want to hear all this. Again."

"Of course I do," he whispers softly, his fingers squeezing her arm gently. "I'm your friend before I'm your boss, Alicia."

"I don't have many friends left," she admits quietly, covering his fingers with her own.

"All the more important to make the most of the ones you do have then," he murmurs. "And for what it's worth, they seem to be coping pretty well, from what I've seen in the last couple of weeks," he tells her softly. "Zach's a bundle of energy, and Grace is one of the sweetest little girls I've ever met. My niece is pretty damn cute, 'Leesh, so that's really saying something."

"They're amazing," she manages quietly, a watery smile crossing her face. "They… just amaze me, every single day, but Zach... he's so grown up, Will. Sometimes I look in his eyes and it's like he understands far too much, and Grace, my beautiful little girl just shut down completely when her dad left." She wipes an arm roughly across her eyes, shaking her head. "She doesn't _talk_, Will. Tonight was the most I've heard her speak in weeks, and I'm _so_ scared that what Peter's done to her can't be undone." A sob shudders through her body as her fears come crashing down, and before she quite realises what's happening, Will's arms are encircling her, all that strength focused on her. "I don't care about what he's done to me," she whispers through her tears. "I just care about them."

"It's okay not to be strong all the time, Alicia," he murmurs softly, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as she struggles to pull herself together. "Just take a couple of deep breaths." His fingers start to run soothingly through her hair, and she loses herself in the smell and the feel of him, just for a moment. Because she can't remember the last time that someone took care of her without asking.

"Thank you," she whispers softly, when she feels like her voice has stopped shaking.

"Stop thanking me," he murmurs, and she can hear the smile in his voice. "And stop apologising, too. You don't need to. Now, do you want to know what I think?"

"Do I get a choice?" she asks quietly, laughing softly as she wipes the tears from her cheeks, her heart warming when she sees his smile widen a little at her laughter.

He smiles a lot, when they're together. He always has done, even in Georgetown.

She'd just forgotten quite how addictive his smiles are.

"Not really," he admits with a grin, stroking his fingers gently against her shoulder when she goes to move. "Stay," he murmurs softly, increasing the pressure of his hand imperceptibly. She knows it's wrong. She knows she should move, but it feels too good to do anything but what he says.

Just for a little while, she wants to forget that so much is wrong.

"I think that Zach is a smart, funny little boy who can see that something bad has happened and wants to do everything he can to make sure his mom is happy," he tells her quietly, pressing a finger to her lips before she can protest. "You'll get your turn, counsellor," he murmurs, eyes sparkling. She can't help but laugh at that, because he won her over with legal jokes all the way back in Georgetown. Apparently, they still work. "And as for Grace, she won me over before she even talked. She's a beautiful, clever little girl, Alicia, and I think she's just scared and confused, so she keeps her words to herself unless they really matter. I'd be willing to bet my season tickets on the fact that she was a little shy before all this?"

Her heart feels like it might beat right out of her chest, and she can only nod her agreement. Because he's met her children a total of twice, and somehow he's managed to put their personalities into words she hasn't been able to find.

And apparently he's not done.

"You know why I'm not worried? Because they have got the most amazing mom I've ever met, Alicia. I thought you were… incredible, in law school, and you make everyone stop and stare in a court room, but I'm in awe of you as a mother." His voice is soft and sincere, and she feels like her heart might beat right out of her chest. "Those kids have more love than they could _ever_ wish for in you, and I have no doubt that you will get them through this." He pauses, and her breath falters as she lifts tearful eyes to his. "I hope that I'm around to see that," he murmurs quietly, brushing the tears from under her eyes with his thumbs before cupping her cheeks.

"I hope you are too," she whispers, because she didn't realise it until then, but it's the god's honest truth.

She loses track of how long they sit there, how many tears he catches with his thumbs, but it feels all too soon when he eases himself away from her with a gentle smile.

"You look exhausted, 'Leesh," he murmurs softly, her nickname from Georgetown slipping out again effortlessly and giving them both pause. "Go and get some sleep," he adds, standing up and stretching his arms above his head for a moment before holding a hand out to help her up.

He holds her hand in his all the way to the door, and she finds herself impulsively pressing a kiss to his cheek once he's shrugged into his jacket.

"Will…"

"If the next words out of your mouth are thank you," he cuts in warningly, the grin on his face at odds with his words.

"Noted," she murmurs softly, her cheeks burning as he smiles that particular smile that's always been reserved just for her.

"I'll see you Monday," he murmurs softly, and before she can respond, he's pressing his own kiss to her cheek and heading out towards the elevator.

When she leans back against the closed door, she finds she's already pressed her fingers to that very spot.

* * *

She's woken from the best night's sleep she's had in over six months the next morning by a warm, wriggly body as Grace squirms her way into her mother's arms, burrowing down with a thumb snugly in her mouth.

"Morning, baby," Alicia whispers sleepily, curling an arm automatically around her daughter. Grace lifts wide, awake eyes to her mother, serious and quiet as she curls her other hand sleepily into Alicia's hair. "You're awake so early. No school today my love," she murmurs softly, rubbing a palm soothingly down her back. "It's Saturday, remember?"

"Momma, cuddles," she murmurs contentedly, wriggling around until she's totally comfortable. "Sat'day cuddles."

"That's right, baby," Alicia whispers softly, wide awake in an instant at the sound of that beautiful little voice. When she looks up, Zach is hovering in the doorway, one arm wrapped tightly around a grey stuffed elephant. She holds an arm out, laughing softly as he scrambles eagerly onto the bed. "My two favourite people," she murmurs softly as Zach worms into their embrace, sharing Rory with Grace without complaint, as his sister curls a fist around the elephant's trunk. "Good boy," Alicia murmurs against his ear, pressing a kiss against his forehead and receiving a proud little grin in response.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" he whispers, hope springing in his eyes.

"Absolutely," she whispers back without a second's hesitation, rewarded with a big grin. "Saturday mornings are for sleeping though, remember," she adds, running her fingers through his hair gently. "When we wake up, we'll make pancakes. Deal?"

"Deal, Mom," he whispers, closing his eyes and snuggling into his sister, who's already sleeping peacefully with her face mashed into Alicia's shoulder.

She gets another two hours sleep with her children tucked into her side.

Will texts her when they're eating an incredibly late brunch of pancakes and watching cartoons (or at least, the children are), and she doesn't have to hesitate for a second when she tells him that her weekend is going amazingly, so far.

It fast becomes a tradition, that Friday night pizza is followed by Saturday morning pancakes.

_tbc._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I will be bringing in dialogue and cases from the show, and guess what? I don't own those either! Title and lyrics are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **I'm so glad you're enjoying the story, thank you so much for all your reviews and comments! The kids don't actually feature in this chapter I'm afraid – it's mainly a little bit of development in Alicia and Will's relationship. I'm sure you'll recognise dialogue/settings from the show, so please forgive me for taking them from the show to use in my own context! As always, it really means a lot to hear what you think, and fear not the children will be back in chapter four!

**Chapter Three**

* * *

_Tonight we'll just get drunk, disturb the peace…_

* * *

"Peter."

"Mom," Peter greets, rising from his chair in the visitors room to embrace his mother. "It's so good to see you." As they sit together, Peter updates her on the trivialities of prison life. He listens to her stories of the children and lets her reassure him that even though Alicia has, still angry, categorically refused to consider letting them release him on electronic monitoring to her new apartment, he has a place to stay with her. Only then, once all that is done, does he venture to ask her about Alicia.

"She's working too much, but that's about it," Jackie offers dismissively.

"Yeah, I warned her about Diane Lockhart," Peter murmurs, a smile gracing his face.

"No, it's the other one. Will Gardner," Jackie corrects him, watching her suspicions play true all over his face. Calculated, she continues. "I'm glad they're friends and all, but he needs to give her a break. Day and night, she never stops. It's not good for the kids."

"Alicia's first priority will _always_ be the kids, mom," Peter defends automatically, even as suspicion sparks in his eyes.

"You know he's met the kids, right? He's been over at the apartment for dinner at least twice that I know of. Grace chats to him like he's her new best friend. Your _daughter_, who won't say two words to you over the phone when you call, chats to Will Gardner, your wife's boss, like he's the best thing since sliced bread. You tell me what's wrong with that picture."

* * *

"Where are the mini-Florrick's tonight?"

"My brother's watching them," Alicia tells Kalinda, pausing for a second to down the shot of vodka the investigator slides in front of her. "No doubt corrupting them and wreaking havoc in my lovely apartment. So what Stern Lockhart tradition is this?"

"Guilty verdict," Kalinda sighs, tapping her own shot on the bar before tipping it back. "And this one's more of a Gardner tradition."

"Gardner tradition, huh," Alicia comments, unable to hold back the laugh that just wants out despite the trauma of their day in court.

"Sounds like a story," Kalinda muses casually, spinning her stool so she's facing Alicia.

"Everything's a story to you," Alicia counters with a smirk, shaking her head slightly. "Just thinking that Will's never been able to hold his vodka."

"Mm, I think that's why it's a guilty verdict drink," Kalinda agrees, shaking her head slightly. "So, Georgetown huh?" she continues smoothly, raising an eyebrow slowly.

"Georgetown," Alicia agrees guardedly, running a hand through her hair.

"Georgetown what?" comes a familiar voice from over her shoulder, and she turns her head sharply as Will drops onto the empty stool next to her and downs the shot Kalinda pushes in front of him.

"Kalinda was fishing," she tells him, smiling a little when he barks out a laugh. "I was remembering how you could never hold your vodka."

"Kalinda's always fishing," he counters, tugging his tie loose with one finger. "And please, don't give her ammunition."

"I've got plenty of ammunition," Kalinda counters, holding two fingers up to the barman, gesturing to Alicia and Will as she stands, tapping her phone once on the counter. "And I already knew you couldn't hold your vodka, Gardner. I've got…plans," she announces vaguely, watching the barman slide two more shots of vodka in front of the lawyers before taking her leave.

"Crappy day." Alicia's staring at Kalinda's retreating back in something like shock when Will speaks, and it takes her a moment to turn her attention back to him.

"Crappy day," she sighs, tapping her glass against his and downing it smoothly. "She's… something," she murmurs, choking a little as the vodka burns.

"Kalinda?" he asks on a chuckle, one eyebrow raised as he tips his own shot back. "She's that alright."

"I like her," Alicia murmurs, shrugging a shoulder slightly when he grins at her.

"Me too," he murmurs, resting his head in his hand as he studies her. "So this is Alicia on a night off, hmm?" he murmurs, and if she didn't know better she'd almost think he was flirting with her. "Kind of like Georgetown all over again."

"Except we're better dressed and the vodka doesn't taste like paint stripper," she laughs, running a hand through her hair.

"You have a good laugh," he murmurs, and she drops her eyes for a moment, feeling a blush spread across her cheeks. "Just as easy to embarrass as you were in Georgetown, too," he teases, a crooked grin crossing his lips as she glares at him.

Yep. Definitely flirting.

"And you're just as annoying," she murmurs back, and it's entirely possible that she might be flirting a little, too. Holding up two fingers, she gives the barman a smile as he places another two shots in front of them.

"It's always the good girls," he muses, grinning at her. She can't help laughing, pushing one of the shots in front of her.

"It's because we're catching up," she counters, picking up her own shot with a grin. Watching as he tips his back, she takes a sip of hers, closing her eyes for a second because she can't remember the last time she sat in a bar and felt like she had no responsibilities.

And there they are.

He laughs a second before she drops her forehead onto the bar.

"Miss them, don't you?" he murmurs, like he's inside her head.

"Like you wouldn't believe," she agrees, groaning as she lifts her head up to see him grinning. "Pathetic, isn't it?" she asks, sipping her vodka slowly.

"Actually, I think it's kind of endearing," he murmurs, his eyes darting nervously around the room when he realises what he's said as her heart thumps against her chest. Because there was no mistaking the sincerity in his eyes. "There's no way to make that sound any better than it did, is there?" he asks wryly, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

"You can blame the vodka, if you want," she points out with a soft smile, resting her fingers on his arm. "I won't tell."

Even as they laugh, the mood seems to shift between them. Afterwards, she wouldn't be able to tell you who moved first, but his kiss was gentle and his lips were warm and soft against hers, and suddenly her fingers were curling at the back of his neck as they traded soft, chaste kisses, noses bumping.

She can only remember being kissed like that once before in her life.

He was the one doing the kissing then, too.

He rests his forehead against hers when they break the kiss, and she lifts her fingers to his lips before she can stop herself. She's not ready. She's nowhere near ready for feelings she can't even acknowledge, and she's still married.

Her husband is in prison and he's broken her heart, but she's still married. On paper only, or so it feels, but she's still married.

And she's not ready for this.

Her phone lights up on the counter between them, and they both silently read the text from Owen about Grace's nightmare. She knows she has to go, knows her daughter won't settle until she's the one tucking her back into bed, but her fingers stay curled at his cheek for just a moment longer.

He speaks first.

"We always have bad timing, don't we?"

* * *

"Did you even get any sleep last night? You look exhausted."

Alicia lifts her weary head from the mountain of paperwork that used to resemble her desk, giving Will a hesitant smile as he nudges her door shut, sinking onto her couch and stretching his long legs out in front of him.

"I was up with Grace until 4am," she explains, smiling tiredly as he winces sympathetically. "Almost wasn't worth getting any sleep after that. Worse than any hangover you ever had at Georgetown, I can promise you that."

"Are her nightmares getting any better?" he asks softly, and she knows he's recalling a conversation they had a few weeks ago when she thinks she had looked almost this tired. He had googled it afterwards, and emailed her the most pertinent of a whole host of articles explaining how traumatic events of any type at that age could lead to entirely unrelated nightmares.

She'd already read them herself a million times over, but the simple email that accompanied them had made her heart beat a little faster.

"Floods of tears every time," she murmurs sadly. "Won't go to sleep after one without me, but she still won't talk to me about them." Running a hand through her hair, she shrugs a shoulder slightly. "I'm not sure she knows how. I'm thinking about taking her to see someone about them, if they continue much longer."

"Can't hurt?" he murmurs questioningly, and even though she can see his complete lack of experience written all over his face, he's trying in a way that no one else does, and she can't help herself from smiling at him.

The silence that descends as they watch one another should feel awkward, but it doesn't. Somehow, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

"Hi," she murmurs softly, when it feels like the silence has stretched on one beat too long. He grins hesitantly at her then, running a hand through his hair.

"Hey," he answers, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as he studies her. "Do we need to talk about last night?" His voice is soft with the question, and she lets a breath out at the lack of expectation in his eyes, because the amount that she feels for him, even after all this time, makes her want to run for the hills.

Especially when she's struggling to think of anything but the way he kissed her last night.

"I don't…" she sighs, shaking her head in frustration. Because it might be all she can think about, but that doesn't mean that she knows how she feels. She doesn't know how she feels about anything these days, unless it involves her kids. "This isn't… I can't," she breathes out, tipping her head back.

"Bad timing, right?" he murmurs softly, reaching out to touch her knee, just for a second. The warmth of his fingers on her skin sends a shiver running through her, but he's leaning back against the couch before she can react. "I was thinking that maybe we could leave it as a kiss between two friends who've grown pretty close, again," he murmurs softly. "Two friends who feel… something, for one another, but have bad timing right now."

Her heart thumps against her ribcage, and she lets a heavy breath out as the pressure lifts, just a little.

"Alicia, you're still married," he adds softly. "You've been to hell and back in the last nine months, and you've got your children to think about. I'm not about to put any more pressure on you, and you don't have to say anything. Just… remember that having you back in my life is wonderful, and we'll leave the kiss as just a kiss." He hesitates for a second, just enough for her to notice, before he continues. "For now."

And as she watches him stand from her couch, all she can think is that she might still be married to Peter in technicality, but she doesn't think he'll _ever_ make her heart race again in the same way that Will does with nothing more than a few sincere words.

"Will?" she manages, as he's reaching for the door handle. He stops, and she takes a risk. "Do you think that we'll always have bad timing?"

"I hope not," he murmurs honestly, holding her eyes for a long moment before

"Me too," she whispers, not quite able to contain her smile as she watches him walk back upstairs.

_tbc._


	4. Chapter 4

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I will be bringing in dialogue and cases from the show, and guess what? I don't own those either! Title and lyrics are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **this was one of my favourite chapters when I was writing it, so I'm happy to share it with you. Everyone has given me so much lovely feedback on how much they love the kids, and they're back in this chapter so without further ado, please enjoy and as always I would love to know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"How's Will?"

"Peter, don't do this," Alicia sighs, resting her head in her hand as she scans the prison visitors room, looking for anything but him to focus on.

"Mom tells me he's working you hard," Peter continues, sarcasm threading through his voice.

"No, Peter," Alicia snaps. "You don't get to do this. Will is a _good_ man. He's been a good friend to me, and he's been good to our children when he has no reason to be."

"Except to get into your bed," Peter mutters, making Alicia's anger bubble over as she slams her hand down on the table between them, relishing the way he jumps just a little, before recovering. "Oh, come on, Alicia, he's been in love with you for years."

"Maybe he has," she counters dangerously, meeting his gaze head on.

* * *

"Mom! This is awesome!" Alicia turns away from the balcony of the box that houses Stern, Lockhart and Gardner's Bulls season tickets the next day, laughing when she sees her son drowning in a Bulls jersey that he definitely didn't arrive in. She dressed him herself, so she would know. "We got hot dogs, and we went right down to the field and it's so _cool_!" her son continues animatedly, and she can't help the smile that crosses her face as he continues to chatter a mile a minute, spouting any number of baseball facts that she's sure Will has been filling his head with in the forty minutes they've been gone.

The man in question's hand rests on Zach's head as they head down the stairs towards her, and she watches as the boy grins up at him, barely pausing in his rush of words.

"Take a breath, buddy," she murmurs as he barrels into her legs, her own fingers brushing against Will's as she cups Zach's head gently. Zach is all but vibrating with excitement, and she can't help rolling her eyes a little bit because Will's showing every classic sign of _not_ being a parent in getting her little boy this worked up. "Sit down and have a drink for me, okay?" she murmurs. "There's a bottle of water for you right over there. Then you can tell me all the baseball stories you want."

"Thanks, mom!" She can only laugh as Zach bounces over to the water, turning back just in time to see her daughter's face all but light up as Will deposits a miniature Bulls cap crookedly on top of her riotous mass of curls. Grace reaches both hands up to straighten it, her eyes wide with excitement as her mouth drops open.

"You spoil them," Alicia murmurs to Will, raising an eyebrow at him before turning her attention to Grace as she pats her mother's cheeks. "Well look at you, baby girl," she whispers to hrt, watching in awe as Grace flashes her a cautious look before turning back to Will and stretching both arms out to him. Will's jaw drops right as her heart stutters, but she passes Grace over to him before the girl can change her mind. "Say thank you, baby," she whispers in her ear, pressing a smacking kiss to her cheek as Will settles her on his hip.

She's never let Will hold her before.

Zach, her little bundle of confidence, has been more than happy to hang out with Will and all but leapt at him when he offered to take him down to the field, but Grace is so cautious, just like her.

She doesn't give her heart away easily, which has only been exacerbated by Peter's disappearance.

The fact that it's Will she's chosen makes the moment all the sweeter.

"Thanks," Grace whispers quietly, her eyes full of awe as she stares up at Will.

"You're more than welcome, miss," Will murmurs back, tapping her nose lightly and laughing as she goes cross eyed trying to follow his fingers. "Can't have your kids looking like they're not Bulls fans," he adds, turning his attention back to Alicia. She laughs, shaking her head slightly.

And actually she finds that she doesn't mind, not one little bit. Her kids have lived through enough in the last few months that a little spoiling won't do them any harm.

Particularly not from Will.

She takes another long moment to watch him with her daughter, his fingers circling her tiny wrist as he points her attention to all sorts of things on the field in front of them. Grace giggles at everything he says, and she shakes her head. He's a natural, even if he doesn't think he is. And apparently the Gardner charm really does work on the _whole_ Florrick family. Speaking of, she drops to a crouch in front of the chair where Zach is slumped, running a hand through her son's sweaty hair as he lifts happy but tired eyes to hers.

Sometimes he's so confident and so self-assured that she forgets he's still only five years old.

"Hey, my man," she murmurs softly, opening her arms to him as he clambers into her lap happily. "You've had a pretty exciting day so far, huh? And the game hasn't even started yet."

"It's so cool, mom," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her neck as she settles in the seat he's vacated. "Will knows _so_ much about baseball."

"Mm, you know I used to go watch him play baseball when we were younger," she murmurs, watching his face light up in disbelief.

"Really, mom? Was he good?"

"Yeah, he was pretty good," she laughs softly, pressing a finger to her lips as Will heads over with Grace. "That's our little secret though, we don't want his head getting any bigger than it already is." Zach bounces on her lap a couple of times as the speakers start to crackle, giving her a bemused look.

"You're silly, mom," he murmurs. "Why would his head get any bigger?" She laughs at that, ruffling his hair as Will takes the seat next to her. He shoots her a questioning look as Zach starts to laugh too, and she shrugs a shoulder, shooting him a grin as she pulls her sunglasses down off her head. "Mom?" Zach asks, breaking the connection between them as he rests a hand on her shoulder, clambering onto his knees so he can whisper on her ear. "Do you think Will would play baseball with me sometime?"

"I think you might be able to convince him if you ask really nicely," she murmurs back, cutting Will a conspiratorial look because her son is not as quiet as he thinks. He nods immediately, and she can't help reaching over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Awesome," Zach whispers, wriggling back around in her lap to watch the action on the field. When she looks to her left, Will mouths the same word at her.

She can't deny the shiver that runs through her body. He's been nothing but completely respectful of their friendship for the last few weeks, but that hasn't seemed to stop her _own_ reactions to him. Shaking her head slightly, she reaches over to tug on her daughter's baseball cap, laughing softly as she's rewarded with a massive grin.

"Did you turn _both_ my kids into baseball fans in less than an hour?" she asks Will suspiciously.

"I plead the fifth."

On days like this, she can't help but think that life is pretty good.

* * *

The Bulls make winning look effortless, and the sun has long set by the time they find themselves riding the El back from the game. Grace is spark out, a heavy weight against her mother's chest, and even Zach's baseball questions have trailed off as he slumps against Alicia's side, seated in between her and Will.

Which leaves two adults locked in a moment that neither of them seem to be able to break.

"I'd forgotten the magic of baseball," Alicia murmurs eventually, stroking her fingers soothingly behind Zach's ear. "I've never seen these two so transfixed by something that wasn't on a screen either."

"I can't believe you've never taken them to a baseball game," Will murmurs softly, pitching his voice low enough that it won't disturb the children. She can only shrug a little, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Peter didn't really care for baseball," she tells him quietly. He nods slowly, brushing his fingers gently against hers where they rest on Zach's head.

"How are things with Peter?" he ventures softly, closing his eyes for a moment as she tenses up, memories of the previous day flooding in. "Sorry. I'm sorry. Forget I asked," he backpedals quickly.

"Not good," she murmurs softly, lifting her hand from Zach's head just enough to tangle her fingers with his. "But today is a _good_ day. I haven't seen my kids this happy in a long time."

"Well I'll let you know next time we're not using the season tickets to entertain clients," he murmurs, "if you're free, we'll bring them again."

"I'd like that," she tells him softly. "I used to love coming to watch you play," she adds impulsively, giving him a hesitant smile as her mind flashes back to Georgetown, to sneaking law books up into the stands before he explained the rules to her, and hanging out in the bleachers with him long after the game had finished.

"I used to love it too," he murmurs quietly, and she doesn't have to look into his eyes to know that he's remembering the same thing.

"You know you've made a friend for life in Zach today," she murmurs eventually, when the weight of the emotions and too many memories between them starts to get too heavy. He laughs softly at that, and she can't help smiling at him. "He had a blast Will, and I can't tell you how much that means to me. Thank you."

"I had a blast too, Alicia. He's a great kid. And Grace," he murmurs softly, a little bit of awe still in his eyes. "Wow." She can see in his eyes that he's just as aware of the significance of Grace's actions as she is, and she smiles a little wider.

"I was so worried about her," she whispers softly, running her fingers gently down Grace's back. "You have _no_ idea…" she shakes her head a little, giving him an emotional grin before casting her eyes down for amoment. When she looks back up, there's an almost wistful smile on his face, and she knows instantly what it means. "Something magic about those cuddles, huh," she teases knowingly. He nods slowly, his grin crooked as he glances down at Grace. "These two never fail to make me feel better. Even after the worst of days, all it takes is them throwing themselves at me the second I walk through the door, or reaching up for a hug when I tuck them in, and everything's okay."

"I can see that," he whispers, resting his head on his hand as he watches them. "Our stop is next," he murmurs, reluctant to break the silence as he reaches out to brush a strand of hair from her face. She leans her cheek into his hand for just a second, wanting the moment to end just as little as she thinks he does. "You want me to get Zach while you carry Grace?" he asks eventually.

"You live in the opposite direction, Will," she murmurs softly, curling her fingers gently at the back of Zach's head. "I'll wake him up."

"Like hell you will," he all but growls, fixing her with a stare she only sees in the courtroom. "If you think I'd even consider leaving you to walk home alone with two children, my mother obviously didn't bring me up right. So you take Grace, I'll take Zach and I'm walking you all home. No arguments."

Her heart doesn't melt.

It doesn't.

* * *

"So you used the season tickets this weekend?" Diane asks casually, coffee mug balanced in one hand as she leans against Will's door on Monday morning.

"Yeah," Will answers, looking up with a grin. "Great game. Easy win." Diane pauses for a long moment, and Will sees something soft but almost calculating in her eyes.

"You took Alicia and the kids, didn't you?"

"Is that a problem?" Will challenges, meeting her gaze head on.

"Not right now. You let me know before it becomes one, though."

* * *

"So the trial prep is progressing well," Peter tells Alicia a few days later, as she sits across from him wishing she were anywhere but there. "Daniel thinks it could only be a matter of weeks before they'll release me."

"That's really good news, Peter," she murmurs softly.

"Alicia, is there a chance for us?"

She can only stare at him for a moment, incredulous. Because he hasn't asked her in so many words since the scandal broke, but now that he has, it almost feels all too clear.

Her heart starts to pound in her chest, and the tips of her fingers start to tingle as she struggles to draw in a breath.

"Alicia, please. I want to save our marriage. Tell me there's a chance."

"You slept with _hookers_," she whispers quietly. "You slept with hookers when our daughter was _three years old_. You tell me what you think the answer is."

_tbc._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing! Title and any lyrics used are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **your response to this story has been so lovely – I'm so enjoying reading all your reviews, and I'm so glad you're all loving little Zach and Grace as much as I am! This is a little bit more of a dramatic chapter, and as I'm sure you'll see, borrows a storyline from the show. I won't give anything more away, but I'd love to hear what you think as always!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Alicia is deep into drafting a settlement agreement on the Friday afternoon after the game when her phone rings, startling her out of her reverie. When she glances at the screen, her nanny's name is flashing so she answers.

"Samantha, hi. Is something wrong?" she asks distractedly, circling a word she doesn't like with her red pen.

"_Mrs Florrick, I'm so sorry to call you at work." _

"It's Alicia, Samantha, and it's not a problem. What did you need?"

"_It's just… I wouldn't bother you, but I just picked the kids up from Jackie's, you know she had them til five today because I had extra classes?" _There's worry evident in the younger woman's voice, and as Alicia puts her pen down and starts to pay her full attention to the conversation, she hears crying in the background.

"Samantha is that Grace?"

"_She won't stop crying, Mrs Fl… Alicia," _Samantha stumbles over her words. _"I didn't know what else to do." _

"Samantha, just tell me what's happened," Alicia interrupts, her heart already racing. "Is Grace hurt? Is Zach okay?"

"_Zach told me that Jackie took them to see Peter." _

* * *

"You need to go downstairs." Kalinda's voice interrupts Will from his own work five minutes later, and he glances up to see the investigator standing in his doorway, concern etching her features.

"Why do I need to go downstairs?" he asks, stretching his arms above his head.

"There was a phone call and a _lot _of shouting, and now I think that she's crying." Kalinda says cryptically, but Will's heart starts to beat a little faster. Because he knows who she's talking about.

"Kalinda, just to be clear…" he starts, thumbing the button on his jacket closed as he stands.

"Alicia," she confirms softly, stepping to the side to let him leave.

* * *

Her sobs come thick and heavy, and she feels like she can't breathe through the anger coursing through her body. It feels like everyone is staring at her through the glass walls of her office but she couldn't stop it even if she wanted to, and her head starts to spin as the world tilts a little.

Sinking heavily into her chair, she drops her head between her legs, her cell phone dropping from her shaking fingers and bouncing on the floor.

Her _kids_.

"Alicia, take a breath." The voice coming from her doorway cuts through the white noise rushing through her head like a soothing whisper in the dark of night. Leaning her head a little further between her knees, she tries to suck in a deep breath but fails spectacularly until his fingers graze against her shoulder, before settling high on her back.

And suddenly, she finds herself able to pull in at least a shallow breath.

"Hey," Will murmurs softly, his fingers gentle points of pressure that start to ground her a little, warm even through her clothes. Her skin feels clammy, but her chest loosens a little as he continues. "Just try and take a deep breath, okay?"

She must manage a nod, because he falls quiet after that, the silence only punctuated by her ragged sobs.

When she manages to lift her head, he's crouching beside her chair, his face close and concerned.

"Kalinda said you were shouting at someone on the phone," he murmurs softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"She took my kids to the fucking _prison_, Will," she chokes out, the tears coursing down her cheeks again entirely of their own accord. She feels his hand tense on her shoulder when she swears, which she _never_ does, and then she hears a curse slip from his own lips as the enormity of her words sinks in.

"Who?" he murmurs softly, his voice tight with a protectiveness for the children he's known for less than two months.

"My mother-in-law," she manages to grit out, burying her face in her hands as she sobs. "My children's grandmother took them to a _prison_, because she thinks I'm wrong. Grace was _sobbing_ on the phone, Will," she adds, stumbling over her words. "She wouldn't stop crying, and Zach told Samantha he was scared…" she trails off on another sob, panic causing white spots to flash across her vision.

"Where are they now?" Will asks quietly, his fingers pressing a little firmer against her back. "Alicia," he continues firmly, moving to crouch in front of her. "Alicia, where are the kids?" His voice is uncompromising now, just like it is in the courtroom, and somehow it cuts through the panic.

"Samantha's… bringing them here," she manages quietly, covering her face with her hands as the noise keeps rushing through her ears. "I'm sorry, I just… I couldn't. I had to see them."

"It's fine," he tells her immediately, squeezing her icy fingers gently. "It's fine. Do you think you can walk?" he asks, and his voice still sounds distant even though he's close enough to touch. She nods automatically, but the question doesn't really register. "Why don't you come up to my office?" he's asking softly. "It's a little… exposed, down here, and you can wait for the kids up there."

She doesn't register much of the walk upstairs. She thinks she hears a commotion, thinks she sees her colleagues staring, but nothing sticks. Will doesn't touch her once they step out of her office, but she can feel him hovering. It should feel stifling, but somehow it reassures her. Strips a little bit of the panic away, so that by the time he's closing the door to his office and asking his secretary to tell him as soon as the kids arrive, she's able to walk over to his couch by herself, sink down and tip her head back against the cushions. He pulls some of the blinds down, affording her what little privacy he can, and when she manages to focus her gaze on him he's tugging his tie loose, thumbing the top couple of buttons on his shirt undone, sleeves already rolled to his elbows.

It shouldn't spark something deep in her belly, but it does. Maybe it's the panic coursing through her veins, but the protectiveness in his actions, coupled with his inherent masculinity… it's a little overwhelming and ridiculously inappropriate, but she can't help it. Just for a second.

Until she's assaulted by images of her children and prisons and her mind goes blurry all over again.

When he presses a cold bottle of water into her hand, she realises she was drifting again, and she drags up what she hopes is a grateful smile in his direction as he eases himself into his chair opposite her, cracking his own bottle of water.

She watches him swallow before she manages to open her own, and the icy touch of water at the back of her throat as she swallows finally seems to ground her.

"That always worked at Georgetown," he offers quietly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as the memory sparks in her brain.

Because Will is one of the few people who have _ever_ seen her fall apart, and the first time it happened, he told her afterwards that getting her water was the only thing he could think of to do for her.

It's something inherently _them_, because no one else has ever realised that an ice cold glass of water in the middle of a panic attack is actually all she really needs.

"You remembered?" she asks quietly, lifting her eyes to his. His smile barely touches his lips, but she knows the warmth in his eyes, too well.

"I'll always remember, Alicia," he tells her quietly. A tear slips down her cheek, and she startles slightly at the feel of his fingers, wiping it away. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asks softly, settling back in his seat a little.

"Samantha called me," she recalls softly, closing her eyes. "Grace was… she was crying in the background. Samantha had picked them up from Jackie's, and Zach… Zach told her that Jackie had taken them to see Peter." She wipes her eyes roughly, letting a shuddering breath out. "I _told_ Jackie I didn't want her taking the children there. I told her, and she judges me on it constantly, she argues with me about it every time she sees them, but they're _my_ kids, Will. They're my responsibility and I knew they couldn't handle going there. I _knew _it. They're four and five," she whispers, her hands shaking almost violently as Will takes the water bottle from her. "They're so young. They shouldn't… their dad already got taken away from them, I didn't want them to have to see the inside of a prison," she whispers. "I called Jackie, and I… I yelled at her," she whispers. "God, I…"

"Stop," Will murmurs softly, touching her hand gently. "They are your kids, Alicia, and she did what you categorically told her not to do, without your permission. You've been _everything_ for those children for the last eight months, you have every right to be furious." He pauses for a moment, stroking his thumb against the back of her hand. "For what it's worth, I'm furious too and I've only met the woman for two minutes," he adds, giving her a smile when she lifts watery eyes to his. "Now, did your nanny… Samantha? Did she tell you how long she would be?" he asks gently. Shaking her head slowly, Alicia forces herself to think.

"Jackie… Jackie's place is about twenty minutes out," she whispers, rubbing a hand across her eyes.

"Okay," he murmurs softly. "You'll have those beautiful children of yours in your arms in about five minutes then," he tells her, and she feels the vice around her chest ease just a little. "So you're going to go into my bathroom and wash your face," he continues. "Don't let those beautiful children of yours see that you've been crying, yeah?"

She does as he says, and five minutes later finds herself standing in front of the elevators watching the numbers rise, her eyes a little less swollen than they were before. It's stupid, but she feels like that's entirely down to the gentle swipe of his thumbs against the tender skin before they left his office rather than the cold water she splashed on her face. She can feel Will's presence even though he stopped a way back in the corridor, and it gives her the strength to ignore the prying eyes and the panic lingering at the back of her mind.

Then the elevator doors open and Zach slams into her legs before she has a chance to move, his arms winding tightly around her knees.

"Momma," he whispers, the name she used to love hearing from him as a toddler slipping out like it's the most natural thing in the world. He called her it for a whole week after the scandal broke and Peter was arrested. She curls a hand around the back of his skull, cradling him close as Samantha walks over with Grace in her arms, her baby's sobs only getting louder when the nanny whispers for her to look for her mom.

"Mrs Florrick, I'm so sorry," Samantha whispers, and Alicia can see her hands shaking as she hands Grace over. With her daughter's tears soaking her neck, she can only shake her head.

"No, Samantha, I'm so sorry you ended up in the middle of this," she tells her softly. "You did the right thing calling me."

"Do you want me to stay?" the young girl asks softly, and Alicia shakes her head again.

"There's no need, Samantha. We'll see you on Monday morning, okay?" she asks, crouching down carefully so Zach unwinds his arms from her legs. "Hey, guys," she murmurs softly, addressing them both as she strokes Zach's cheek. "We're going to go sit in Will's office for a little bit, okay?" she murmurs softly, wiping a tear off Zach's cheek. When he gives her a tremulous nod, she stands up, curling her fingers at his neck gently to guide him down the corridor.

"Hey, big guy," Will murmurs, touching Zach's head briefly as he guides Alicia into his office. She completely misses the look Diane shoots him from her own doorway as he closes the door behind them.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Alicia has her little girl asleep against her chest with tearstains on her cheeks, and a scared little boy tucked into her side, his fingers tangled in the lapel of her jacket. Just their presence makes her feel decidedly calmer. Pressing her lips against Zach's forehead, she sighs softly.

"You're such a brave boy, Zach," she murmurs softly, squeezing him a little tighter. "I'm so proud of you, and I love you," she whispers.

"I tried to be brave for Grace, mommy," he whispers softly. "Grandma kept telling her to stop crying, but I knew she was scared so I tried to be braver for her 'cause she was so scared."

"I bet that helped her a lot, baby," she murmurs softly, closing her eyes for a moment to keep a check on her emotions. Zach turns hopeful eyes up to her, and she gives him the best smile she can manage. "You're a really good big brother. Grace couldn't ask for a better brother." His little chest puffs up, and she kisses his cheek.

"Grandma kept telling her to talk to dad, too," he continues, fingers creasing the fabric of her jacket as his grip tightens. "I told her Grace doesn't talk much anymore, but she kept saying Grace had to for dad. And then Grace wanted to talk even less. I could tell." Alicia hears Will's intake of breath from where he's sitting watching her, and she risks meeting his gaze for a second.

He looks every bit as furious as she feels.

"Your mother-in-law better hope I don't meet her again anytime soon," he murmurs for her ears only, giving her a tight smile.

"You know that Grace talks to you, buddy," Alicia murmurs softly to Zach, her attention focused on the worry in his little eyes after she breaks eye contact with Will, "and she talks to me, and to your Uncle Owen."

"And Will," Zach adds, swinging his legs as he looks across at Will. "Grace talks to Will, mom."

"I know she does," Alicia murmurs, holding him tight as he shivers.

"Can we go home, mom?" Zach asks quietly, looking up at her. "I think Grace would feel better if we were at home."

"Of course we can go home, baby," she murmurs softly, glancing to Will for reassurance. He nods quickly, giving her a smile.

"I'll drive you guys home," he tells her softly, with a quick glance at the clock. "You don't become managing partner without the odd perk here and there."

* * *

"Alicia." Will's voice is warm through the phone later that evening, and she lets her head drop back against the pillows gently.

"Hi," she breathes softly, closing her eyes.

"I'm so glad you called," he tells her softly, and she hears the sound of whatever game he's watching being muted. "How are the kids?" She lets a smile cross her face at that, because he asked about her kids first.

And that means something.

"Grace cried herself to sleep," she says softly, not even trying to hide the pain in her voice. "Zach was a little trooper for his sister, but there were a few tears before he fell asleep."

"They're in bed with you, aren't they," he murmurs, and she laughs softly at that. Because he's spot on. "Thought so," he continues, laughing softly. "And how are _you _doing?"

"I feel… numb," she whispers softly, looking down at her kids. She's expecting nightmares tonight, from both of them, and she's already trying to build up the strength to deal with them. she couldn't care less about how she feels.

"I wish you weren't on your own," he murmurs softly, and she closes her eyes for a moment, fighting back the _me too_ that wants out. He gave her a hug when he dropped them off and she wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms and never move.

Hearing his voice down the phone, she wants it all over again.

"I'm not," she says instead, running her fingers through Zach's hair gently. "I've got two beautiful children to keep me company, and I called Owen. He's coming round for breakfast, and you know their crazy uncle will be able to take their minds off things." He laughs at that, and her heart jumps a little.

"Crazy is one word for it. I'm glad your brother is still as… unique, as the day I met him," he murmurs. She knows it's a distraction technique, but when he continues, it's working. "Do you remember that day?"

"How could I forget?" she laughs softly, shaking her head as the memories hit her. It had been a late summer's afternoon before the start of a new year, and the one thing she really remembers is the grin on Will's face when he first saw her after a long summer apart.

Owen had been young and impressionable and debated with Will through the entirety of the dinner her mother had insisted on taking them all out for.

"You held my hand under the table when he got particularly mortifying," she murmurs softly.

"I did," he sighs softly, and she hears something in his voice that he's not telling her. "That was a good day." It was an excellent day, but she doesn't quite know how to tell him that when everything in her head is such a mess. He speaks again before she can figure that out. "I should let you go," he murmurs softly. "You should get some sleep while you can."

When he hangs up, she finds that she dreams of Georgetown until Zach is the first one to wake her up.

It's a long night, but her dreams when she has them are sweet.

_tbc_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing, and if you consider the fact that I'm currently lusting over a pair of shoes I most definitely should not spend an insane amount of money on, that's a pretty good indication that the characters aren't mine! Title and any lyrics used are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **once again, thank you all for your lovely reviews! I know a lot of you are loving the Will and Grace dynamic in this story, so there's a nice dose of them in this chapter for you! I've taken a couple of cases from the show and moulded them into my own little universe – one from season one and one from season two, so I hope you'll forgive me for mixing my seasons up! As always, I'd love to know what you think!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"We'll be fine, won't we miss?" Will murmurs, bouncing a pyjama-clad Grace on his hip as he faces her. Alicia can only watch as Grace laughs and taps his shoulder with a grin on her little face. "Alicia, I've got this," he adds, voice firm and uncompromising. "Bed by seven," he continues, tapping Grace's head, "eight for Zach. No chocolate and no scary movies. I know you don't want to do this, but please don't worry about us. _We_ will be fine."

Sucking a breath in, she nods, but makes no move to grab her coat. Will crouches down, waiting until Grace is steady on her feet before releasing her.

"Give mommy a hug," he murmurs softly, staying crouched near the floor as Grace darts into Alicia's waiting arms.

"Momma go?" she asks softly, and Alicia closes her eyes, running her fingers through Grace's curls.

"Yeah, baby, Momma has to go," she murmurs, "so you're going to stay here with Will and you'll have so much fun you'll forget all about the fact that I'm not here, and then it'll be morning and I'll be here again." Grace turns her head to look at Will again, her young eyes assessing, and Alicia can't help but laugh. Will is close enough to touch, and he reaches out to tug gently on one of Grace's curls.

"Why don't you go find your brother, miss?" he murmurs softly. "I just need to talk to your mommy for a moment, and then the fun can start."

They both watch as Grace darts through the apartment in search of her brother, and then he stands, holding a hand out to help her up. He doesn't let go of her fingers, and instead uses them to tug her a little closer.

"You can do this," he murmurs softly, thumb rubbing the back of her hand soothingly. "I know you hate that you need to ask Peter's help on this one, but K's right, 'Leesh."

"I know she is," she sighs softly, rubbing a hand over her face. "Is it stupid that I don't want to be alone with him?"

"Not at all," Will tells her softly, "but just remember that the kids will be here when you get back. I'll even make you breakfast," he adds with a grin, and she lifts a finger to touch the corner of his mouth as she smiles back at him. She still hasn't figured out how he does it, but already she feels like maybe she's strong enough to get through the conjugal visit she almost flat-out refused to do.

Anything but a death row appeal, and she would have.

"Go," Will murmurs softly. "Sooner it's over, sooner you're back here with the kids." His _and with me_ goes unsaid.

She walks out of the door with his eyes on her the whole way.

* * *

The apartment is dark and quiet when Alicia walks back in at a little after seven the next morning. Her children aren't particularly early risers at the best of times, but if they're both still asleep at seven o'clock on a Saturday, she's taking that as a good sign that they didn't give Will any trouble. More to the point, she's more than inclined to leave them that way until they wake up of their own accord.

Shrugging her coat off and reaching down to unzip her boots, she heads through to her own bedroom first, refusing to acknowledge the fact that her heart might be beating a little faster at the thought of finding Will in her bed, as innocent as it may be.

Cracking the door gently, she eases it open and comes to a halt in the doorway.

Because the sight of Will sleeping on top of her covers in a fitted white tee and a pair of well-worn sweatpants might almost be her undoing. But Grace, angelic in her little pink footed pyjamas as she sleeps tucked in between his stomach and his arm does her in, once and for all.

With her heart stumbling in her chest, she makes her way over to the bed, running light fingers down Grace's back as she sits on the edge of the bed. When she lifts her eyes to Will she finds sleepy brown ones blinking back at her, and she can't help the smile that crosses her face.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she murmurs softly, reaching out to run her fingers through the hair behind his ear before she can remind herself that they don't _do_ things like that.

"Morning," he mumbles, the slight tilt of his head into her fingers the only outward sign of just how much he likes her touch. "Time is it?" he asks, his voice sleep rough and a few shades lower than normal.

It makes her shiver, just a little.

"Just gone seven," she whispers softly, resting a hand gently on Grace's head. "Did she give you some trouble last night?"

"Nightmare," he murmurs softly, his own eyes dropping to her daughter. "About… two?" he asks tiredly, shaking his head a little as he tries to wake up. "Two thirty maybe. Think she came looking for you, but she was a little star and made do with me instead."

"I'm glad," she says softly, starting to gently untangle Grace's hair. "Thank you. I couldn't… I just couldn't face leaving them with Jackie, not for a whole night."

"No problem," he murmurs, rubbing a fist at his eyes and bringing a smile to her face again. She'd forgotten he's even less of a morning person than she is. Apparently some things haven't changed since Georgetown. "I had a blast, actually," he tells her eventually, his brain catching up with her words. "They're fun kids."

"Fun kids who wore you out?" she murmurs with a grin, letting her fingers graze his cheek for a second. "While you wake up, I'll go make you a cup of coffee," she suggests, trying not to laugh as she eases her other hand out of Grace's hair.

"I owe you breakfast," he points out, looking like he's nowhere near awake enough to tackle that particular task.

"There's no rush," she murmurs, smiling. "The kids will sleep for as long as I let them, and I think I could stretch to a cup of coffee first." He flashes her a sleepy grin at that, and she bites back her smile as she watches him close his eyes again.

Leaving him to wake up, she tries to control the racing of her heart as she immerses herself in the routine of coffee making. And somehow, even after the night she's had, five minutes with him seems to be enough to turn the day around.

Because now he's all she can think about.

His hair sticks up at slightly odd angles when he pads into the kitchen five minutes later, and she can't help herself from grinning again as she slides a mug across the kitchen counter to him.

"I kind of expected you to have grown into a morning person," she murmurs, sliding onto the stool next to him and bumping his shoulder with hers. He glares at her, and she laughs softly, curling her fingers round her mug.

"Your expectations are far too high," he offers eventually, taking a long sip of his own coffee. "Can't make a leopard change his spots. This is _good_," he murmurs, lifting it to his nose to take a deep breath in .

"Vanilla," she murmurs softly, taking a sip of her own.

"You can make coffee for me again," he tells her, flashing her the little boy smile that always used to get her in Georgetown. "I left Grace in your room, is that okay?" he asks, resting an elbow on the counter and his head on his hand. She nods, and he smiles back at her. "This is nice," he murmurs, his eyes brown and affectionate as they study her.

He was always at his most dangerous first thing in the morning. That's another thing she remembers.

Bed head and sleepy eyes on Will Gardner? Definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"It is," she whispers softly, feeling like she's watching in slow motion as his hand covers hers on her knee. His fingers are warm, and she feels herself flip her hand so their palms kiss. That feels even nicer.

She can't remember someone wanting to hold her hand.

"I'm going to kiss you good morning now." His voice is a lot closer when he speaks again, and she lifts her eyes to find his inches from hers. "Fair warning," he murmurs, before his lips descend on hers, warm and wet and tasting like the barest hint of vanilla from his coffee.

As good morning kisses go it's pretty spectacular, and she finds herself chasing his lips for a second kiss when he pulls away. His laughter rumbles against her lips but then he's kissing her with a little more intent, his other hand sliding up to cup the back of her head and angle her gently against his mouth.

When she breaks away to catch her breath he gentles his kisses completely, brushing a series of light butterfly kisses against her lips before pulling away completely. She can't help touching a finger to her gently swollen lips, and catches the laughter in his eyes as he watches her.

He's kind of intoxicating, in her kitchen at seven in the morning.

A comfortable silence falls over them as they both turn their attention back to the steaming mugs of coffee in front of them, and by the time that she can breathe steadily again, she finds herself marvelling at the fact that it's not awkward between them, not even a little bit.

She feels like it should be, after where she's been all night, but… it isn't.

When she risks a glance over at him, he's watching her quietly, and she can't help the smile that crosses her face. When he answers her with a smile of his own, she feels like it should be ridiculous that they're sitting in her kitchen at seven in the morning, grinning at one another like teenagers.

But it isn't.

"How are you doing?" he asks eventually, breaking the silence.

"Glad to be back," she tells him honestly, resting her hands flat against the counter. "It showed…" sighing softly, she shakes her head. "It showed me how uncomfortable I am with him now." They haven't discussed her marriage to Peter in so many words, and she's not naïve enough to not realise that there are some wounds that run far deeper for Will than the fact that she's technically still married to Peter while they're… whatever they are right now.

She has divorce papers, hidden away in her room. They've been there for months.

She hasn't even told Owen she's got them yet. It's one of the biggest decisions she's _ever_ had to make in her life though, one that involves Will yet again, and she's finding it harder than she expected.

"It can't be easy," Will murmurs then, his fingers nudging against hers for a second. There's no edge to his voice, no resentment in his comment despite how hard it must be for him, and she doesn't think she's ever been more grateful to have this amazing man back in her life again. Shaking her head, she curls her fingers around the edge of the counter.

"I got what we needed," she murmurs, returning to safer territory through an intense desire not to ruin the beautiful morning they're sharing with talk of her husband as she starts to fill him in on what Peter told her. By the time they've discussed what it might mean for the case, her bedroom door is creaking open again and Grace comes padding out, the stuffed rabbit Alicia hadn't noticed clutched in one hand, close to her chest. Her face lights up when she spots her mother, and Alicia leans down to pick her up before her arms are even outstretched.

"Hi, baby girl," she murmurs, giving her a kiss. "I missed you last night."

"I had bad dream, momma," Grace tells her seriously, her little fingers settling at Alicia's chest.

"Mm, I heard that sweetheart," she murmurs softly, running a hand through her hair. "Did Will give you good cuddles?" Grace nods, wriggling on Alicia's lap to flash Will a shy smile.

"She was very brave," Will murmurs, tapping her nose lightly with a finger and giving her a smile. "Now, do you like pancakes as much as your mom does?" he asks, laughing softly as Grace bounces a little. "I'll take that as a yes," he murmurs, lifting himself out of his seat.

Grace kicks her legs happily as she snuggles back into her mother, and Alicia can only laugh, picking up her mug for a long sip. When she stands it down, Will's grinning at her. His voice is soft when he murmurs what she could already tell he was thinking.

"Like mother, like daughter."

* * *

A little under two weeks later, Alicia finds herself trapped in her apartment with Kalinda and three children, waiting for phone calls from an appeals court clerk and trying desperately to figure out what they missed.

She and Kalinda have formed a firm friendship, one that feels a lot more honest than any of the friendships she thought she had in Highland Park. Kalinda's honesty is refreshing as much as her reticence to talk about her own life is frustrating, but there's something about the other woman that she trusts.

As such, she's let her in where others have failed.

"So, Will babysits your kids?" Kalinda asks, right on cue as she reclines back against the pillows, trademark smirk on her face as she raises an eyebrow. "I'd pay to see that."

"He looked after them a couple weeks ago, while I was at the prison," Alicia confirms, turning to face her. "But you already know that don't you?" A short nod is all the response she gets. "Zach and Grace like him, and after everything with Jackie," she sighs, "he offered and I couldn't say no."

"He's pretty taken with them," Kalinda adds astutely, flicking through some of the paperwork in her lap as she speaks. "Although not just them if we're being honest."

"I didn't realise we were being honest," Alicia counters, trying to stave off the flush that threatens to take over her cheeks.

"So he… stayed the night?" Kalinda asks, the look in her eyes far too knowing.

"It was a conjugal visit, Kalinda. You know they don't let you out until 6.30 the following morning."

"Did he make you breakfast the next morning?"

She's never been happier for her daughter than when a little face peers around the door, and she smiles encouragingly. "You can come in, sweetheart," she murmurs, leaning over to pick up Grace as she dances over to her mother, her little pink skirt flying around her legs. "Are Zach and Nisa still playing?" she asks, catching Grace's wandering hands before she can make a grab for the paperwork covering the bed. Grace nods, shooting a slightly suspicious look in Kalinda's direction.

"Hi," Kalinda offers, slightly awkwardly, and Alicia does her best not to laugh. Apparently, she's found someone Kalinda Sharma is _not_ an expert at reading.

"This is Kalinda, sweetheart," she murmurs, "she works with mommy and Will, remember?"

"Will," Grace murmurs happily, her little eyes darting around the room as if she expects to see him. The look in Kalinda's eyes only gets more knowing as she seems to slip right back into her comfort zone, and Alicia buries her face in her daughter's curls.

"Will's not here, sweetheart," she murmurs, "he's at work."

"Work," Grace sighs, snuggling into Alicia's arms.

"Spend a lot of time in here, does he?" Kalinda murmurs, amused. Alicia hopes that the glare she sends her way conveys exactly how much she doesn't want to have this conversation. "You've seemed different lately," she muses, marking a piece of paper. "Happier."

"Do you remember what my life was like when you met me?" Alicia asks sarcastically, trying not to jostle Grace as she starts to fall asleep.

"Not what I meant. What happened to the you who shared everything, anyway?"

"She wised up to your sneaky investigative ways."

_tbc_


	7. Chapter 7

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing! Title and any lyrics used are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **I so hope you're still all loving this story! There's not a lot of the kids in this chapter I'm afraid, but we're well into some forward movement for Will and Alicia so I hope that will make up for it! I'm shamelessly stealing scenarios and dialogue from the show here, but I hope you'll enjoy my twists on what we saw! As always, I'd absolutely love to hear what you think, every one of your reviews really does make my day!

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

_And I know, we aren't friends anymore  
If we walk down this road, we'll be lovers for sure…_

* * *

Pushing open the door to the parking garage, Alicia takes a step out, tucking her blackberry into her purse and keeping her head down. She just wants to get back to her kids. It's been one of those days she told Will about on the way back from the ball game a few weeks ago.

One of those days when she just needs to hug her kids.

Amber Madison, on every chat show you can imagine.

It's humiliating, and she's furious at Peter all over again. Barely over her rage at Jackie, with her kids still struggling with bad dreams involving prisons and locked rooms, now she has to listen to Zach tell her over breakfast that Jessica at school heard her mommy saying something about his mom being cold.

She knows that wasn't what _Jessica's mommy_ had meant.

Add that to the secret she now knows about Stern and can't breathe a word of due to attorney-client privilege, and it's rapidly becoming too much.

"Alicia." She startles badly when Will calls her name, her heart pounding in her chest. He's leaning against a pillar in the parking lot, legs crossed at the ankle, hands in his pockets. "Sorry," he apologises, pushing away from the pillar and taking a step towards her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Hell of a day," she murmurs softly, doing her best to wave off his concern. He sighs heavily, but she just wants to get home. "I should…" she gestures in the direction of her car, keys in one hand. If she's right, he only wants to ask her more questions about Stern, and she doesn't think she's in the mood to be able to handle that.

She's tried to say what she can, but even that isn't much.

"I don't think you want to do that," he says quickly, hand darting out to curl around her wrist when she moves to step away. "I'm sorry, 'Leesh," he murmurs softly. "I know you've had an awful day and I don't want to make it worse, I really don't, but… there's someone waiting by your car." He runs a hand through his hair, looking frustrated as he sighs again. "I think it's Amber Madison."

"You think…" she breathes, something in her head starting to spin. His grip tightens a little on her arm, and she manages to suck in a breath.

"She can't see us from here," he murmurs softly. "So why don't you come with me? I'll take you home, or we can go grab a drink and swing by for your car later. Whatever you want." He's letting go of her arm as he pushes off the pillar, his fingers settling in the small of her back as he guides her in the opposite direction, towards the partner spaces.

He didn't wait for an answer.

* * *

They don't sit at the bar this time. Instead, he slides a tumbler across a secluded table to her, before sinking into the seat next to her.

"Drink," he murmurs softly, reaching over to curl her fingers around the glass. "Then I'll take you home to your kids."

"What is it?" she asks softly, her eyes finally focusing on the amber liquid in front of her.

She must've looked bad if he thought this was necessary.

"Scotch," he murmurs softly, taking a sip from his own glass. "It's good," he adds softly, and she realises his fingers are still wrapped around hers when she goes to lift the glass. "Calm your nerves."

The liquid burns as it slides down her throat, and she sets the glass down, burying her face in her hands.

"My marriage is over," she whispers quietly, rubbing a hand over her face before picking up her glass and taking a bigger swallow. "It's so… over." She looks up soon enough to catch the flash of pain that crosses his face, and finds herself reaching for his hand before she can stop herself. "My marriage has been over since the day that news broke," she says quietly, resolutely. "It's just... now it's real. And humiliating." She pauses for a long moment, trying desperately to blink back the tears in her eyes. "I never wanted to be like my mother."

"You're _not_ like your mother," he objects, animation dancing in his eyes. And he's met her mother, so maybe he can judge? "Alicia, you are _the _most devoted mom I've ever known. Those kids want for nothing, and they never will. You are never going to be like your mother." She's not crying. She's not.

Except she is.

"Please don't go back to him," he whispers then, his voice raw with all the emotion they don't talk about, and it's too much and all too clear, all at once.

"I've got divorce papers at home," she whispers through her tears, looking up into those soulful brown eyes she's gotten to know so well again and telling him something she hasn't told _any_one. "I've had them… for a while." Taking a deep breath, she looks down for a moment because the sheer hope in his eyes is threatening to overwhelm her. "I'm going to visit him in two days and I'm taking them with me. I'd already decided, before this, but I… I want it done, Will. I'm done. It just… took me a while to get there."

"I'm so sorry," he murmurs softly, fingers curling round hers again, and she can hear everything he isn't saying. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through this."

"Me too," she whispers. His fingers are on her cheek then, wiping her tears and curling in her hair, and she leans into the strength he's offering, laughing even as her tears fall. "Are you sure you want to take on all of this?" she asks quietly, shivering a little as his thumb runs along her jaw and she realises exactly what she's just asked him. Exactly what she's just taken for certain. He laughs, and she lifts her eyes to his. "Still time to run a mile in the opposite direction," she adds.

"Never been more sure," he whispers, his fingers sliding around to the back of her neck as she drops her forehead on his shoulder. "I'm all in," he whispers softly, fingers kneading her taut muscles. "Whenever and whatever, Alicia."

"Can you just… can you hold me, for a bit?" she finds herself asking, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "I just… I could really do with a hug," she continues, even as his arms are sliding around her body and drawing her into his embrace.

He's always given the most amazing hugs.

"As long as you want, 'Leesh," he's murmuring softly against her hair. "As long as you want."

* * *

Her hands are shaking too badly to open the door by the time he walks her up to her apartment, exhaustion and her horrible, horrible day and the promise of _them _a lethal combination, so he takes the keys from her hand and slides them into the lock before guiding her inside with his fingers on her back. She hears Jackie's voice berating her for the lateness of the hour at the same moment that she realises Will has stayed on the wrong side of the threshold. She's still too angry with Jackie to put into words, can barely bring herself to be civil to the woman especially when she shows no remorse for what she did, but she _needs_ her to look after the kids. She can't work without her.

It's the worst kind of catch 22, and she doesn't have the strength to deal with her tonight.

Pushing down the panic that starts to resurface, she turns to Will quickly.

"Don't go," she whispers, her eyes widening slightly as she hears her words. "Not… yet. Please."

"Okay," he murmurs softly, and he already has the door closed behind them and is sliding her coat off her shoulders by the time her mother-in-law comes to a condescending halt in the entranceway.

"_You_'re here," Jackie almost spits disparagingly in his direction, tutting as she turns to Alicia. "Really, Alicia, what will the children think? You have to remember how impressionable they are at that age."

"Go see your kids," Will whispers in her ear, even as Jackie continues to berate her. "Let them make your day a little better, and leave me to deal with the witch." She almost can't help the shaky laugh that wants out, but she does as he says and makes her way quietly towards her kids' rooms without sparing Jackie a second glance. Will's next words reach her just before she eases open Zach's door. "I think it's time for you to go home, Mrs Florrick. Alicia's got it from here."

Allowing a smile to finally cross her lips, she steps into the room, the dim glow of Zach's nightlight soothing on her tired eyes. Wide brown eyes blink up at her from the bed, and her smile only grows.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, sweetheart," she tells him quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and opening her arms as he scrambles sleepily into them. Taking a deep breath of the sleepy smell of her son, her heart finally starts to calm. "I'm so glad to see you," she whispers, even as she feels his body start to grow heavy against her.

"Love you, momma," he murmurs softly, and she presses her lips to his forehead, easing him back down into bed.

"Go to sleep, my man," she murmurs softly. "I love you too." His long eyelashes flutter shut and she strokes a hand across his head for a few moments, until his breathing evens out. It sounds quiet outside the safety of his door, but she still steps through the bathroom that adjoins the children's rooms, dropping to her knees in front of Grace's bed. She's out cold, just as she expected, but she loses track of the amount of time she spends watching the steady rise and fall of her little chest.

It settles the last pounding of her heart, and finally she finds that her children have put her back together enough that she can stand up and walk out into the living room.

The sound of a spoon clinking against ceramic leads her to the kitchen, and she toes her heels off in the living room, padding through quietly and giving herself a moment to observe him unnoticed. Lean but broad shouldered, he stands with his back to her, suit jacket discarded as he focuses on the mugs in front of him.

He fits in her kitchen. Fits in this apartment that is just hers and the kids'.

The realisation is startling.

"I made you tea," he murmurs, startling her out of her daydreams without even turning to face her. "You're not as quiet as you think," he tells her, laughing softly, "but feel free to stare all you want." She's sure he turns around in time to see the fierce blush that crosses her cheeks, but his eyes are soft and tender as he holds out a steaming mug. "Two sugars, lots of milk," he murmurs, setting it on the counter in front of her and turning back for his own. "Jackie hates me, by the way," he adds wryly, dropping a kiss to her forehead like it's the most natural thing in the world as he walks past her on his way to the living room. "Your mother-in-law really is a piece of work."

It's a long moment before she can follow him.

* * *

He makes her laugh. Even on a day like this he makes her laugh, mug cradled between her hands as she sits in the opposite corner of the couch to him and feels the tension of the day all but seep out of her.

If only this was it. If only it could always be this simple.

"Let me take that," he murmurs, and suddenly he's leaning over her, into her personal space as he eases the now empty mug from her hands. When he sits back down he's a lot closer than he was, and the subtle, lingering scent of his cologne invades her senses. He's always smelt good. It's not the same cologne he used to wear at Georgetown - it's a little spicier, a little more mature, but over the last few months it's a scent she's come to know as 'him'.

He's starting to overwhelm her, and as his big palm comes to settle at the back of her neck, she sucks in a shaky breath. Because it feels like he's going to kiss her.

"'Leesh," he murmurs softly, his fingers pressing lightly into her neck. "Hey," he murmurs softly, pressing gently against her neck muscles. "You okay?"

She can only nod her head, closing her eyes for a long moment as his forehead comes to rest against hers. And now she _knows_ he's going to kiss her.

"I need a plan," she breathes out, before she even realises what she's saying. When she opens her eyes, he's looking at her in confusion. "I get the romance," she whispers, "I _like_ the romance. But I need you to show me a plan."

"Not everything needs a plan," he murmurs softly, his other hand coming to settle over hers.

"Everything that matters does," she whispers, forcing herself to move away from the intoxicating proximity of him. "I have two kids who mean the world to me," she continues, drawing her knees up to her chest but keeping a hold of his fingers. "I have the press waiting for any whiff of a new scandal. And I have a husband, for the time being anyway." She pauses, her thumb stroking lightly against his in what she hopes is apology. "Poetry is easy. Parent-teacher conferences are hard. If you really… if you're really in this, you're taking on a four and a five-year-old as part of the deal, Will."

"I know that," he breathes, reaching out to brush his fingers down her cheek. She reaches up on sheer instinct, holding his fingers there even as he leans awkwardly over her drawn up knees.

"So cut through that noise. Show me a plan," she whispers, and it almost feels like she's challenging him. If she could, she'd cross her fingers. Because she _really_ wants him to step up.

He looks almost hesitant for a moment, and she holds her breath.

She doesn't have to hold it for long.

"You want to know my plan?" he asks, and she actually shivers a little at the sheer force in his voice. "My plan is I _love_ you, Alicia. I've probably loved you…" his voice falters, just as her heart stutters a little, "ever since Georgetown." His forehead drops against her again, and she can't tear her eyes away from his. "And I think, if you let me, I can love your children too. Your kids… they're fantastic, Alicia. So yes, I'm in this, parent-teacher conferences and all. Maybe I don't have it all figured out, and maybe I don't _have_ a plan," he sucks in a breath, and suddenly she sees it through the tears that blur her vision and the noise that rushes through her ears. Sees how absolutely terrified he is that she might say no. She's about to jump in and reassure him, when he finds his words. "Maybe I've never done any of this before. But they're _your _children, so I want to make a plan _with_ you. With them, if you think that's important. I want to do it with you Alicia, not without you."

She kisses him, then. They don't come up for air for a while.

Half an hour later, he's shrugging into his jacket as she leans against the wall in the hallway. Her lips are warm and kiss swollen, but that doesn't stop him from drawing her in for one more, gentle kiss before he wraps his arms around her.

There will be no plan made tonight, but she has no doubt now that there _will_ be one. And they'll make it together. Because she trusts him in a way that she can't trust anyone else at the moment.

"Get a good night's sleep," he murmurs softly, pressing his lips against her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

She realises the next morning that she gets a better night's sleep when he's the last person she sees at night.

* * *

Eleven days later, Will is sitting in Diane's office toasting the end of a case with her when the news headlines catch both their attention.

"_It was revealed in court today that disgraced State's Attorney Peter Florrick has been served with divorce papers. The prosecution brought the papers into evidence, no doubt in a further attempt to prove that Mr Florrick should _not _be released on electronic monitoring for the duration of the trial. It will be of no surprise to anyone watching that adultery is the main ground cited in the papers, which were filed by the State's Attorney's soon to be former wife, Chicago lawyer Alicia Florrick…" _

Diane sets her glass down on her desk, and turns to her partner. Her question is simple.

"Did this just become a problem?"

Two hours later, she watches Will hug a tearful Alicia in his office. She feels sympathy for the younger woman, can see it written all over her face how she didn't want her private life splashed all over the news like this.

She also knows from that one hug, from the look on Will's face as he holds the woman she's starting to suspect has always been the love of his life, that things might have just officially got complicated, but for her partner any complication would be worth it.

_tbc._


	8. Chapter 8

**The Other Side**

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing! Title and any lyrics used are from 'The Other Side' by Jason Derulo.

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry there was a bit of a delay in getting this chapter out to you guys – and I'm going to have to apologise in advance, because that might be the way for the rest of the story. I started my masters on Monday evening, which I'm balancing alongside a full-time job, and it's leaving me with not very much free time at all. I really hope you'll all stick with the story though because I'm definitely not finished with Will and Alicia's story yet! This chapter has another re-working of one of my all-time favourite season one scenes, so I really hope you enjoy and as always I'd love to hear what you think!

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

_This could be perfect, but we won't know unless we try_

_I know you're nervous, so just sit back and let me drive_

* * *

"Momma, why we here?" Grace asks quietly, her arms wrapped tightly around Alicia's neck as the elevator doors open on the 27th floor. Night has fallen and she doesn't really want to consider how far past her children's bedtime it is, but something drew her back here, after the bookstore visit and burgers that she'd been promising Zach and Grace all week that suddenly felt like they couldn't wait.

"We've come to see Will," she murmurs to Grace watching her little face light up in a grin at the mention of her new favourite person. Glancing down to Zach, she finds him grinning up at her too. "You still got it, buddy?" she asks softly, smiling as he gives her an emphatic nod, clutching a bag in both hands like it contains precious treasure.

Even Diane's office lights are out as she heads down the corridor, but somehow she knows he'll still be here.

She ducked out early today, with an irrational need to see her children. Cases involving kids hit her harder than she ever thought they would, but this one… this one has struck something with Will that she doesn't think she's ever seen before.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't make her fall for him just a little bit more.

He's leaning against the back of a chair, facing away from the door with what looks like his phone clutched in his hand, and she touches her fingers lightly to Zach's head before rapping her knuckles gently on the doorframe, announcing their presence.

He startles hard, and she's about to apologise when he turns and she sees the tears in his eyes. Instead, she crouches down, letting Grace hop onto her feet.

"Go sit on the couch for me, guys," she murmurs softly, ruffling Zach's hair gently as he pouts. "You can give it to him in a bit, Zach," she whispers in his ear, "I promise. But I need you to be good for me for just a little while, first." Her kids scramble for the couch with no argument, and she lifts herself back up, walking over to Will. The flat shoes she exchanged her heels for earlier bring her a good few inches shorter than him, and she reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder as he slumps back against the arm of the chair.

"I blew it," he tells her quietly, rubbing a hand roughly over his eyes.

"No," she whispers softly. "Jesse blew it, and he knows it."

"No, Nyholm's right. I… played craps with that kid's life," he has the presence of mind to lower his voice for that bit even though his own emotions cause his voice to break, and she flashes him a smile, glancing quickly over his shoulder to see Zach helping Grace make easy work of scaling the couch. They're fine. "Alicia, I…" Will trails off, helplessness flashing through his eyes and tears threatening to breach the barrier of his long lashes as she looks back at him.

"Will, you did _every_thing," she whispers softly, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. He doesn't look like he's listening to her, even when she catches an errant tear with her thumb. "Will. Listen," she whispers. "I know you did."

He looks at her for a long moment, and it's like the rest of the world and the background noise of her children fade away. Before she has time to process what's happening, he's standing up and she's engulfed in his arms, the slight tremor of his hands against her back betraying his fragile state of mind. She takes a deep breath in and lets her own hands curl up and around his back, giving him all the time he needs.

When he eventually pulls away from her, he presses a kiss to her lips. It's quick, fleeting. Almost like he does it every day.

She wishes he did.

"Sorry," he whispers quietly, his gaze flicking to the couch as if he's only just realised the children are there. She glances over his shoulder herself, finding them entirely occupied in their own little world, looking at the pictures in one of the books Grace picked out earlier. Zach reaches over to point something out to Grace, and Grace lifts her eyes to her brother with a grin.

And oh, her children are pretty awesome, aren't they?

"It's fine," she murmurs softly, attention back on Will as her fingers settle against the inside of his elbows. "I liked it, actually," she murmurs softly and, feeling brave with her kids occupied, reaches up to press another, gentler kiss to his lips. He rewards her with the first genuine smile she thinks she's seen from him all day.

"What are you doing here?" he asks softly, stroking his thumb down the side of her face gently. The look on his face says he wants to kiss her again, and she reaches up to curl her fingers around his for a moment.

"Thought you might need to hug my kids," she tells him softly, referencing a conversation that feels like a lifetime ago. His eyes flick over to the couch then, and she doesn't miss the warmth that flickers through his gaze.

"You… I needed to hug you, actually. But yeah," he breathes softly, as her heart flutters. "Your kids too. This is exactly what I need," he whispers, eyes flicking to the clock on his wall. "Isn't it past their bedtime, though?"

"Mm," she hums softly. "They don't have school, and I'd been promising them a trip to the bookstore for weeks. So we did that, then we went and got burgers, and now we're here." His eyes soften a little more as she talks, and she bumps his shoulder gently with hers. "Hey, guys?" she calls softly, watching Zach and Grace scramble and almost fall off the sofa respectively. Grace comes barrelling straight for her own legs, the first sign that she certainly has one over-tired and over-stimulated child, while Zach comes to a hesitant, hopeful stop in front of Will, paper bag clutched in his two hands again. She grins softly, crouching down to rub Grace's back gently. "Zach's got a present for you," she murmurs, looking up to Will before touching Zach's elbow to encourage him.

"For me?" Will asks with a grin, taking the bag from Zach's outstretched hands as he sits down in the chair. The Florrick's watch as he opens the bag, lifting the brightly coloured baseball out with a laugh. Alicia nudges Zach again as Will tosses the ball into the air, and Zach takes a deep breath.

"Mom said, when we went to the game, that if I asked real nice you might play baseball with me." He bites his lip, and she presses her finger quickly to her own lips as Will goes to respond. She knows he remembers that day at the ball game, knows Zach doesn't whisper as quietly as he thinks he does, but there's more to her son's speech, and she listened to him practise it the entire way here. "Grace and me want to go to the park on Saturday, and mom said we can take a picnic even though it's cold, and Uncle Owen's comin' too but he's rubbish at baseball, and so," he rushes out, sucking in a breath as Alicia smiles encouragingly. "Would you like to come and play baseball with me?" Zach finishes in a rush, eyes wide and hopeful.

She knows her son is adorable, but moments like this make her want to wrap him up in her arms and never let him go.

"I'd love to come and play baseball with you." Will's answer is instant, and Alicia's smile only grows as he tosses the ball gently to Zach. "Why don't you hang onto this for me until then, and we'll play with it on Saturday." Zach grins, cradling the ball to his chest before barrelling straight into Will for a hug. Will turns his gaze to Alicia for a moment as he wraps his arms around Zach. "Besides, your mom makes the best picnics," he adds like he's telling Zach a secret, and she can't help but laugh because their study picnics at Georgetown really did used to make his week.

Mainly because he was _such_ a shocking cook.

She gets Zach's arms flung around her neck seconds later, and she rocks back on her heels to steady herself as he bounces.

"Mom, he said yes," he stage whispers, and she forces herself not to laugh as she wraps him up in her arms. When she glances over to Grace she sees Will lifting the sleepy girl up into his arms, and she turns her attention back to Zach, letting Will have a moment to hug her other kid, just like she promised.

"He did say yes, buddy," she murmurs, kissing his forehead.

"Is it Saturday yet?" he asks excitedly.

Will's phone rings five minutes later. She sees the flash of panic in his eyes before he rushes off to the hospital, and wishes she could tell him it would all be okay. It's not quite that simple, though, so all she can do is take her kids home and tell Will to call her.

Grace is asleep in her arms before she even steps off the elevator, but Zach bounces in his car seat the entire way home, still asking if it's Saturday yet.

By the time she's put the kids to bed there's a text message from Will on her phone. _Looks like I'll be here all night,_ it reads, after an update on what's happening, but it's the next bit that puts a smile on her face. _Your kids are kind of a miracle cure,_ he adds, and she touches her fingers to her lips. _They must have learnt it from you._

* * *

Saturday dawns bright and sunny, even as they head towards a crisp Chicago winter and Alicia finds herself stretched out on a blanket in the park almost without a care in the world. They finally, through Kalinda's somewhat unconventional means, found the evidence they needed to beat Patti Nyholm, and for once Peter is about as far from her mind as he could be, even with the impending appeal.

"So, Mr Georgetown is Chicago's sixteenth most eligible bachelor, huh?" Owen's voice startles her out of her reverie, and she rolls her eyes at her brother as he pops a grape into his mouth. "Just sayin'," he adds with a grin.

"You saw that, huh?" she murmurs, biting back a smile as she thinks of the article she teased him mercilessly about a couple of weeks ago.

"I did. And _you_ are smitten," he shoots back, propping his head on his hand. "Spill," he adds eagerly. They haven't had a chance to catch up properly for a couple of weeks, so really she should've been expecting the Spanish inquisition.

"Who even says smitten anymore?" she asks instead, leaning her weight back on her elbows as she watches Grace create her own little world with the selection of toys she had insisted that morning were absolutely essential for a trip to the park. Alicia had been feeling particularly accommodating that morning, at the thought of spending the day with her favourite people, and she had given in with little argument.

A little further into the distance Will is teaching Zach all sorts of baseball tips and tricks, and her son's excited laughter carries just far enough to reach her ears.

"You're not protesting," Owen observes, eyebrow raised as Alicia drags her attention back to him. It's the cold that's flushing her cheeks. That's what she's sticking with, anyway. "He's good with them," he muses, tipping his head in Will's direction. "Wouldn't have pegged that one."

"Me either," she murmurs softly, reaching for the bag of chips he's hogging.

"Peter's never played baseball with Zach," Owen adds, a hint of bitterness in his voice. Sometimes, she thinks her brother hates her husband more for what he did than she does.

She doesn't like to dwell for too long on how wrong that is.

"You were never _around_ Peter for long enough to see him play baseball with Zach or not," she murmurs. "Peter's a great dad, Owen. For all his flaws, I won't take that away from him."

"He doesn't make your heart race like Mr Georgetown though, does he?" Owen murmurs, eyes sparkling. She knows that's the closest to an apology she'll get from her brother, and she tosses a chip at him instead of giving him a response. It would only have been affirmative, and he doesn't need any more ammunition. "Your… tight lipped response," he declares dramatically, waving a hand in her direction, "says more than your words ever could."

"It's not that simple, Owen," she explains softly. "It's looking like Peter will get released next week, and the divorce is _no_where near finalised. And even when it is, it's not exactly like we can jump straight into a relationship. There's the kids to think about in all of this, and they will _always_ come first."

"Reality," Owen sighs, "not the thing great romances are made of." In that moment, she couldn't agree with him more. Their attention is drawn across the park as Zach tackles Will to the ground, and Alicia can't help herself laughing softly as Will lets him win with little resistance. Because even in her darkest moments, there's the possibility for hope. "How is Will taking all that?" Owen asks curiously. She's dodged his questions on their relationship for weeks, but for some reason, she finds herself answering this one.

"It's hard on him," she murmurs softly, switching her focus to Grace as she suddenly takes off at a run across the grass towards Will and her brother. Satisfied that Will has seen the incoming bundle of four-year-old, she turns back to Owen. "He says he's all in," she murmurs softly, "says he'll wait, and I believe him, but it's not... we've argued a lot, recently," she sighs. They have. Making a plan was easier said than done, and while she doesn't doubt his commitment for a second, she knows that in a lot of ways this is almost harder on him than it is on her.

They have a lot of history, too. Some of it good, some of it not. The _not_ has threatened to tear them apart a couple of times already over the past couple of weeks, when coupled with everything they're battling to figure out for a future that's nowhere near as easy as either of them would like.

But it makes her smile, just a little, to realise that they've got through it. That even after all their arguments, he can still smile at her the way he has been today. That she can still help him in some little way when he's sad, like the other night in his office.

_That_ gives her hope, and today is a good day. She doesn't want to dwell on it too much.

"We're just not… really an _us_, yet," she sighs eventually. "And that's hard for him to deal with."

"You're not sleeping together, you mean," Owen cuts in, straight to the point as usual, with the one track mind that she loves to hate. She throws a napkin at him, shaking her head.

"Not that _that's_ any of your business," she retorts, "but no, we're not. It doesn't feel right when I'm technically still married to Peter."

"In name only," Owen murmurs, but she shakes her head. She won't do that to Will. Won't let them start like that. She's told _him_ that, but it almost feels too private to share with Owen.

"It's not just that," she murmurs instead. "It's silly things, like he can't hold my hand in public, or be seen with me and the kids too much. He can't take me out for dinner, or talk about us…"

"Alicia," Owen murmurs, and she looks up to see concern in his suddenly serious eyes. "You're talking like it can't possibly work," he points out, and she shakes her head instantly.

"That's not what I'm saying," she tells him instantly. "When it's good, it's… _really_ good. And it is good. But for every perfect moment, there's bad timing," she murmurs softly, almost more to herself than him. "Saying I love you is easy, Owen," she sighs. "It's what comes afterwards that tests you."

"But you'll make it work?"

She mulls over his question for a moment, and in the end, she realises there's actually only one answer she can give.

"Yeah, I think we will," she murmurs, flashing him a smile as she looks across the park to where Will is helping Grace wrap her little hands around a baseball bat. Laughing, she turns to Owen. "How could I not, when I look over and see that?"

"Smitten," Owen mouths, grinning at her. "Seriously, though. The kids adore him. You can't think that'll be a problem?"

"I don't," she murmurs. "I just… what sort of example would it show them, if I move on with Will the second I'm divorced from Peter?"

"That it's okay to fall in love?"

* * *

Grace and Zach have dragged Owen into some elaborate game by the time Will drops onto the blanket next to her, looking thoroughly worn out.

It's a good look on him. One that seems to cross her mind more and more these days.

"You look exhausted," she murmurs softly, glancing down at him. His head is resting close to her thigh on the blanket, and she forces herself not to shiver, because he's so close and she's finding herself getting more and more affected by him, not less.

"Your kids are a handful," he murmurs, a hint of breathlessness lingering in the back of his voice, and she has to close her eyes for a second. She wants to hear him sound like that for a whole host of other reasons. "Last night was the first decent night's sleep I've had all week, I guess I'm still catching up." She opens her eyes again at his unexpected moment of honesty and studies him, upside down and sincere and almost vulnerable as he lies next to her. Reaching out, she runs her fingers tentatively through his hair, smiling when he almost arches into her touch. "Zach's pretty good at this baseball thing," he tells her softly, smiling. "And where did that little firecracker of a four-year-old come from? She's like a whole different person these days."

"I know," she murmurs softly, unable to stop herself from grinning even as her eyes dart cautiously around the park to check there's no one who could be watching them. Grace is still cautious and so incredibly shy around people she doesn't know, still struggles to make friends at school and is still reluctant to speak to either her father or her grandmother, but around the rest of her family (and Will), her exuberant, beautiful little personality is finally starting to shine again. "This is more what she was like, before," she murmurs softly.

Before everything that made her shut down.

"I'm glad I get to see it," he murmurs softly. She has a sneaking suspicion that Peter will have to work a lot harder to see the true personality of their little girl again than Will does, and she's not naïve enough to think that her daughter's growing relationship with Will isn't going to cause problems further down the road, but he's been a big part of drawing Grace back out of her shell and she will _never_ apologise for that.

"Me too," she sighs softly. She doesn't want to ruin the gentle, affectionate mood between them with talk of Peter. Doesn't want another argument, not today. "You shouldn't have let them run rings around you though," she murmurs softly, "It was meant to be a relaxing day for everyone, not everyone but you."

"I feel more relaxed than I have all week," he tells her softly, his eyes sliding closed for a moment as she gets brave, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp. "Especially now," he adds, eyes opening to watch her lazily. "You're doing this properly soon," he all but groans, and she can't help but laugh softly even as she continues with her gentle massage.

"Properly, huh?"

"Mm," he hums. "As in, not in public and not when your kids are around." She's still laughing as he grins at her, and all she really wants to do is lie down next to him and not move for the rest of the afternoon. Because this is the closest to normal it's felt between them in weeks.

"Will," she murmurs softly, glancing up to check that Grace and Zach are still entertaining Owen. They are, and she takes a deep breath. "I know… the last few weeks haven't exactly been easy for us," she tells him softly, and he must be able to hear something in her voice because he rolls onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows.

She doesn't get distracted by the way his perfectly fitted jumper shows off the well-defined muscles in his arms. At all.

Especially not when he reaches out to brush her hair off her face. No.

"Alicia?" he murmurs softly, concern written across his face.

"I just… I know it's not been easy for you, and I'm sorry," she tells him, her words coming out in a rush.

"I knew what I was getting into when we started this," he murmurs softly, his fingers lightly covering hers as they rest on the blanket. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. If anything, it's me who should be apologising to you," he adds. "I told myself I'd make this as easy for you as possible, not argue with you the second something wasn't straightforward." She's shaking her head as he speaks, but when he gives her an almost self-deprecating smile she finds herself smiling right back.

"You do make it easy," she whispers softly, because it's the truth. Because even when it's hard, she knows he's doing everything he can to make it so much easier than it could be.

"Well how about we agree we're both sorry?" he murmurs softly, his thumb stroking across the back of her palm. "Try and talk a little more, before we get to the arguments?" She nods slowly, and he grins right back at her. "I really wish I could kiss you right now," he tells her softly.

"Me too," she agrees, flipping her hand beneath his so that his fingers are stroking against the sensitive skin of her palm.

"This makes the arguments worth it, though," he tells her softly. She smiles a little more, because he's saying exactly what she was trying to find the words to explain to Owen. "This and last night… and that basket of incredible food I know you've got hidden over there," he adds, eyebrows raising as he lightens the mood.

"Way to a man's heart is his stomach, right?" she murmurs, smiling as he lifts himself up to sit next to her.

"Probably the first decent meal I've had all week, too," he adds softly, and she bumps his shoulder gently with hers, concerned. "Long week," he murmurs softly, and she can only nod slowly. "You know how much Thursday night helped though, right?" he asks seriously, turning to look at her. "Tell me you know that."

"I think so," she offers softly, "if it's anything like what the kids do for me."

"The kids were great," he says softly, "but you gave me the strength to keep going."

And he goes and says things like that, and she knows that she really _is_ falling head over heels in love with him, regardless of what she tells her brother.

Even as she thinks it, she hears the tell-tale signs of her family approaching. She can't tear her eyes away from the man sitting next to her though, can't tear her eyes away from the honest emotions shining in his eyes.

She knows she doesn't have long.

Nowhere long enough to say everything that she wants to say.

"Stay for dinner tonight," she blurts impulsively, and she knows he can see as much as she realises that it's not at all what she meant to say, but she needs longer to have this conversation with him.

"What's Saturday night dinner at the Florrick's?" he asks, grinning softly at her. She can see in his eyes that he understands. That he wants longer for this conversation, too.

"Spaghetti," she murmurs softly. "Grace's favourite."

"Sounds good. Will there be kissing?" he asks almost eagerly, seconds before the kids reach them. She laughs, ducking her head in an attempt to stave off the blush rising up her cheeks.

"I think that could be arranged," she murmurs, as the kids all but jump on them. The heat in his eyes as he looks at her over Grace's head makes her blush all over again, and as Owen's eyes flit down between them, she realises that their fingers are still a loose tangle on the blanket.

They don't let go for most of the afternoon.

And there is _plenty_ of kissing later.

_tbc_


End file.
